Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers
by Finferwen
Summary: We all have vices, Master Eclipse...the question you must ask yourself is whether he will still accept you once he learns of yours. Does he trust you, or simply fear you? The past enslaves. [Ch. 10: Of Rude Awakenings (aka, the return to gore)]
1. The Extremely Longwinded Prelude

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Prelude**

_Rating:_ PG (this chapter) to R (later chapters)

_Genre:_ Angst/Darkfic

_Warnings:_ Spoilers for DD4+ Shounen-ai hints (It's Demon Diary, like there won't be), graphic gore - among other things - in later chapters.

_Summary: _Who is Eclipse? Raenef's awakened self poses questions that his beloved mentor refuses to give answers to. When all other options are exhausted and Krayon extends a helping hand, will it prove to aid Raenef in his quest for knowledge, or ruin his relationship with Eclipse permanently?

_Notes:_ And it's time for another round of 'I've never written in this section before, please have patience with my characterisation!' -_-; I should stop doing that. Anyway, I think it's worth pointing out that the Raenef in this story is the one that wakes up after Raenef IV's meddling - that is, the united entity that fuses the doofy and nasty sides into someone who isn't a total pushover or idiot. Why? Because this is the only way Raenef could be motivated to snoop, really. Convenient that I didn't have to come up with an excuse, ne?

Italics denotes either thoughts or emphasis - I'll trust in your inherent intelligence to tell the difference. ^.^ Okay, I'll shut up now and get on with it. 

* * *

It was the perfect cliche of a mid-autumn afternoon at the unnamed castle that had, for centuries on end, stood as the residence for those of the Raenef dynasty. The vast halls and corridors, lined with portraits, statues and tapestries, stood deserted. A faint breeze ruffled the pages of a book left abandoned in the monstrously proportioned library before it too seemed to turn tail and flee back outside to dance in the crisp, bright air. Vibrant red and gold leaves filtered the streaming sunlight and left a dappled pattern under the courtyard trees, the laughter (and occasional yelp) of two humans sparring with wooden swords mingled with faint birdsong, and Eclipse was sure he felt an allergic sneeze coming on in reaction to the sickly-sweet serenity of it all. 

With a snarling, dismissive grunt Eclipse returned his attention to his book, but not before casting a death glare over the cover at the noisy knight and cleric for good measure.

As if on cue, the irate demon's lively young, and, some would maintain, rather dim-witted master appeared at his elbow, a concerned look stamped on his sun-warmed face.

"You aren't enjoying yourself, are you, Eclipse?"

Ah. The inevitable question with a multitude of carefully filed and pedantically maintained appropriate responses. _My life is well and truly on the way to becoming one big cliched interruption._ He consciously relaxed his pale face out of its fierce scowl and adopted the schooled, neutral expression that had served him best in his time under this particular lord.

"I assure you that I am fine, Master. Please do not concern yourself."

Eclipse watched out of the corner of his eye as the other dropped from a squat to rest more comfortably on the grass beside him, listened as he drew in deeply of the shade-cooled air and waited for the next question.

"Am I bothering you, sitting here?"

Just Say It Unless You Want To Be Interrogated Response Number 38 should do the trick.

"Of course not, Master. And how many times must I tell you that apologetic behaviour is unbecomi--"

"How dare you mock me!"

"Getting better," Eclipse muttered, allowing himself to snort in amusement and a tiny half-proud smile to play at the edges of his lips. His companion's face cracked into a huge grin that seemed to light up the shadows they sat in.

"Good, I'll keep you company then."

"As you wish."

The boy scooted down the grass a little, stretched dramatically and rested his head just above Eclipse's knee. Eclipse passed no comment, but let out what could have been interpreted as a sigh of contentment. They stayed there quietly for what could have been minutes, hours or days until a small, slender-fingered hand reached up to grasp the end of dark hair pooled on the ground. Aware of the tension that had made its way back into his makeshift pillow, the boy asked quietly, "Is...is this okay? If I don't pull it? You have such nice hair."

Eclipse's eyes flicked furtively up to see if the knight and cleric were paying attention to them before nodding his assent. A soft, happy sound emanated from the direction of his lap, and he felt the shifting that indicated his hair was being stroked and puzzled over. But it was when the stroking stopped that he cast his book aside and paid full visual attention to the lapful of blonde. The pale eyebrows were drawn together in concentration, the hand grasping his hair was still, but the big difference between the old and the new became apparent with frightening clarity. Gears were turning instead of spinning like a bogged cartwheel in that head. Raenef the Fifth, ill-esteemed ascendant to the demon throne of the southern mountains, was _thinking_. Eclipse waited patiently for him to speak.

"Hey, Eclipse...?" (Eclipse's eye twitched at the colloquialism) "I don't mean to pry, but I've been wondering...you know all about me, but I know almost nothing about you." Raenef began twisting the handful of hair again; suddenly nervous about what he'd blurted. Visibly, he gathered himself and ploughed on. "Everyone I meet in this world knows who you are. You're my...my... well, you know. Please tell me."

This was not the type of question Eclipse had a quick, satisfying answer for. He brushed his dark bangs out of his face, drew a deep breath, and asked quietly, "Exactly what do you wish to know, Lord Raenef?"

Raenef shuffled onto his side, folding an arm over Eclipse's legs for balance as he rested his head on the man's knee, staring intently into his face through long, sandy eyelashes.

"Tell me who you are. Where you've been and what you did there. Tell me something so that the next time someone comes to take you away from me because I'm not good enough, they can't surprise me with things that every other demon is aware of." 

Eclipse spared his master a tiny, crooked and slightly rueful smile as he laid a long-fingered hand on the boy's shoulder. "I am Eclipse, demon of the Third Order, tutor and mentor of Demon Lord Raenef the Fifth, whom I searched for and found in the South. I am your servant, and whatever is in the past remains so while I am in your service."

Reaching for his book, Eclipse moved to stand up and Raenef relinquished the use of the demon's legs back to him.

"That's not an answer, Eclipse."

"It is an appropriate and adequate one, my lord. Please excuse me."

Raenef's face scrunched up in annoyance at being thwarted. "_Hey!_"

The reply drifted back on what might have been the same zephyr of air that had played in the library. 

"Demon lords do not say 'hey', Master."

Huffing, said lord crossed his arms and frowned again - a behaviour so very unlike him that it tripped off Erutis's Raenef Radar and had her storming across the courtyard towards the trees, even as Chris swung at what would have been her shoulder, had she still been standing where she should have been.

"You're awfully scowly today," she observed, plonking herself down gracelessly next to the boy. "If you keep it up you'll get wrinkles, and considering your potential lifespan...what's wrong, cutie-pie? You know you can tell me anything."

"He won't talk to me, Erutis." A tiny, resigned voice. "Why won't he talk about himself? I mean, I thought that after all the mess we went through we were closer than this. Is it because I'm not as thick as I used to be? Because he doesn't trust me? Doesn't like me?"

Erutis flopped back to lie on the grass, chewing on a blade of it as she deliberated. "Well, Rae, Eclipse is a grump. He's old and he's got a temper to match. He's probably done a stack of things he doesn't want you to know about..." a wicked glint flashed across her eyes, "or are you more concerned about who he's done?"

"_Erutis! It's not like that_!" A bright blush worked its way across Raenef's nose.

"Fine, fine, whatever you say. Anyhow, like I said, he's old. I mean really old. He was even Krayon's tutor for a while there, I think."

Raenef sniffed and fought for control of his blush. "So he's old. What's your point?"

"My point is that if you want to find stuff out about him, there are probably plenty of books that could tell you what he doesn't want to. Failing that, you could always ask around...I'm sure that Seer woman would only be too happy to help you out." The knight cracked a smile and winked at her 'liege' before bringing her practice sword up to block the blow Chris was trying to deliver to her head.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Chris barked at her, brandishing his weapon in what he obviously believed to be a threatening manner but really made him look like a slightly off-balance, sweating squirrel. "You're supposed to be training me!"

Erutis rolled her eyes dramatically. "I am training you, stupid. I'm the sword master, so I get to take a break. You, on the other hand, could do with another two hundred practice swings."

Chris's jaw dropped. "Two...hundred...No fair! And I'm not stupid, I'm Chris, Successor to the--"

"Move it or I'm never wasting my time on you again!"

"Okaaaay..." he grumbled, moving back into the open where he could swing without clunking either of his companions in the head.

The knight returned her attention to Raenef, suddenly serious. Her expression coaxed a similar one in the demon lord, and she placed a hand on his sincerely. "Rae, before you go into something like this, are you aware that maybe Eclipse is omitting things for your own good or his?"

"Yes, I know. But I have to find out something." His smile warmed her heart. "Thankyou, Erutis. I'm glad you're here with me."

"No problem, kid."

* * *

The ancient door groaned on its hinges as Raenef peeked gingerly around the space it created, searching the library for potential occupants. Newfound abilities and awareness notwithstanding, he didn't have an excuse prepared if he encountered his tutor and the demon's ongoing ability to read minds did not bode well for Raenef's plan of action. Thankfully, the chamber stood empty.

His boots clacked lightly on the marble floor as the boy passed quickly over to the first row of tomes, running a finger across the neatly ordered spines. Ruefully, he wished he'd paid closer attention to Eclipse's explanation of the ordering system the previous Raenef had used. _Oh well. There can't be that many books in here, and if I've found one I've found all of them. _Glancing up at the seemingly endless shelves, the ladders and the far away domed ceiling, Raenef moaned unhappily and cupped his face with his hands. _This is going to take me at least a century..._

Three hours later, and Raenef was no more well informed than he had been when he slipped through the door. The books, although overflowing with gruesome detail about the exploits of demon lords of old, spells that six months ago he wouldn't have had a hope of mastering and genealogies for names he was barely aware of, were all but useless. Raenef the Fourth might have been a great collector of knowledge, but obviously didn't care for written records of the present or those he knew on a personal basis. For all the books told the young lord, his trusted and noble mentor didn't exist.

Raenef thumped his head on the desk, frustrated with his futile efforts.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Don't tell me you're actually studying."

Eclipse covered his mouth with one elegant hand, hiding his amusement as his lord sat bolt upright, a sheet of parchment stuck to his forehead. As the paper loosened itself and fluttered back to the desk, Raenef offered his tutor a sheepish smile that the demon acknowledged with a raised eyebrow.

"Kind of. I was just going over some of the things you tried to teach me back when my attention span rivalled a cockroach," Raenef grinned a little wider and bowed his head. "I want you to be proud of me."

Eclipse crossed the significant distance between the door and the desk in what seemed like three or four paces and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Master Raenef..."

"Yes?" Raenef squeaked.

"You'll figure it out in your own way, in your own time." Raenef felt the demon's exhaled breath stroke against the side of his throat, and suppressed a giddy shiver. "Although your efforts are very much appreciated, it would be foolish to worry yourself over concepts that now come naturally to you. But if you're happy sitting by yourself researching, by all means don't let me interrupt you further, my lord."

Withdrawing his hand and stepping back, Eclipse vanished with no more than a faint 'go'.

"Uwaaaaa, he nearly caught me!" The young lord whimpered as he rocked back and forth in his chair. 

The door opened and closed with a squeaky groan borne of haste, as if it protested to being moved so quickly. And considering the Fourth Raenef's habit of giving life to inanimate things, it wasn't that much of an unreasonable assumption. 

"Who nearly caught you doing what?" Chris asked, leaning over the other boy's shoulder in an attempt to see what he was reading.

Quick thinking had served him once, and Raenef crossed his fingers inconspicuously and hoped it would hold out again. "Eclipse. He...almost caught me reading over stuff I should already know," Raenef mumbled as he hung his head as if in shame. "I don't want him to think I'm denser that he already believes, so I didn't want him to find out."

"Ah." The cleric shifted just enough to sit on the edge of the table, swinging his feet aimlessly. "You know I know you're lying, right?"

Raenef looked up in alarm. "Eh? What makes you think I'm lying to you?"

"First off, your reaction to being accused of lying is a dead giveaway." Chris folded his arms smugly. "Secondly, I'm a genius, but that's a given we're all aware of. Thirdly, I overheard you talking to Erutis back in the courtyard so I know what you're really looking for."

"Oh." The blonde's shoulders slumped in defeat. "So is there anyone here who doesn't know what I'm doing?"

"Couple of crusaders, probably, but they'll find out eventually," the cleric-in-training remarked, trading his smug posture for twirling the jewelled staff at his hip. "So, do you think Eclipse bought your lousy excuse?"

"I'm not sure. I hope so, but he fobbed off my questions earlier today and it's too much of a coincidence to find me in the library just afterwards for him not to put two and two together." Fiddling, Raenef began folding the loose piece of paper over on itself.

"You mean he didn't say anything about the books you've got spread out here?"

"No. But he's smart. He probably knew that these books would be useless and figured I'd give up once I found that out," the demon admitted, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"_All_ of these books are useless?" Chris held one up, flicked through the pages and made a warding-off gesture at the unfamiliar demonic script.

"Yes. Apparently my predecessor was a collector of old things rather than new." He began stacking the unhelpful tomes into neat piles, preparing to return them to their respective shelves.

"Tough break." Chris stroked at his chin, a glint of humour entering his eyes. "Shame you can't use the library at the Great Temple, isn't it? But you know, Raenef, I'm still not used to you being so articulate. It's creepy."

Raenef's indignant yelp echoed down the corridor as they left the library to itself once again.

________________________________________________________________________________

His lord's obvious distraction and frustration over the course of dinner was, for once, a great relief for Eclipse. It meant the boy had failed in his attempt to dredge up the history that the demon had once been - and still was - considerably proud of, but was now reluctant to speak of in the boy's presence. Eclipse's every resistance had been futile. There was simply no way one could spend time in the child-lord's gregarious and affable presence and not wish to be accepted into it, and loath as he was to admit any attachment to anything beyond duty, he had been sucked in just as hard and fast as the boy's two human companions. The mere thought of using his reputation as anything other than a vague reference to scare the irritating cling-ons behind Raenef's back became anathema the first night he'd spent sleeping on the edge of Raenef's bed, guarding the most undemonlike ward he'd ever been charged with. All the boy had had to do was mutter Eclipse's name in his sleep, and Eclipse lived to see him happy and prosperous.

Eclipse highly doubted that tales of his exploits in the Hangma War and the centuries before that where he'd been noted even in the human world for his cruelty would make the young lord happy in the slightest. He could picture the look of revulsion on the doll-like face, the tears that welled in the huge eyes widened to almost comical proportion by horror at the knowledge that his beloved tutor and guardian was, in fact, the brutal killer that had earned him his post. The vision, once conjured, refused to fade away quickly and always left the dark-haired demon in a cold sweat.

It was with something disturbingly close to gratitude that Eclipse was snapped out of his reverie by Erutis, who suggested in a no-nonsense tone that they might as well retire for the night, considering that Raenef, the social glue of the little group, appeared to be off with the fairies.

He gave her his best death glare as he escorted his lord from the table when she mouthed 'you owe me big!' at him. The knight flinched, and surreptitiously edged behind Chris. You know, just in case something happened to spontaneously combust in the demon's field of vision.

* * *

Raenef lay awake long after Eclipse bid him goodnight and vanished away to his own quarters. The moonlight streamed in through the window and onto his face as if in mockery of the sunbeams that had tinted his cheeks pink earlier that day...before Eclipse had sidestepped him.

The Seer. Meruhesae. Erutis had mentioned that she might be helpful if it had to do with her grumpy object of affection, and even more so if what she had to say could sway the young lord's attention away from him. She was a demon, after all, and by nature self-interested. _Does that mean I'm digging around in things Eclipse doesn't want me to know just for my own sake?_ Raenef scratched his head, puzzled as to whether he was in fact as bad as the demon woman. _If he's hiding something it has to be because it might change my opinion of him, and that's not going to happen. **Ever**,_ Raenef concluded fiercely.

Sleep. If he managed to reach out strongly enough in his dreams, Meruhesae might hear him and then he wouldn't have to make an excuse to leave the castle. _I think I'm getting smarter!_ Raenef made a conscious effort to relax himself, kept his thoughts on the longhaired demon woman cocooned in her palace of draped silk, and fell asleep.

***  
Opening his eyes, Raenef scanned his unfamiliar surroundings. He was most certainly not in his bed. _It has to be the dream world_, he deduced, and set off across the open expanse of white in search of Meruhesae.

"Yes, it is. And you're not going to find her unless you tell me what you're up to, kid."

Raenef recognised the voice almost instantly, and sure enough, seated in midair as if on an invisible throne, was Krayon, the Demon Lord of Egae.

"I...I just need to ask her a few questions," the younger of the two stalled.

Krayon floated down towards the unseen ground, landing softly as his cape billowed around him. _Sylphs again? In a dream?_

The demon scowled at him. "No, as a matter of fact. This is my realm and everything within obeys me. Even you should know that."

Raenef was strongly reminded of the times Eclipse had casually read his surface thoughts, but unlike those instances there was nothing comfortable or companionable about Krayon's particular brand of intrusion. "Will you stop that, please?!"

"No," the cloaked man replied promptly. "So it's your dear tutor you're fretting over, is it? Well, kid, as I've always said, once you've had enough I'm more than happy to take him off your hands. 'Bout time you realise you're not good enough for him." Krayon eyed Raenef's trembling shoulders and downcast face, sneering prettily. "What, you think the Seer is going to pat your hand and tell you it's all right?"

"That's not it at all!" Raenef choked out.

"I know. I'm just riling you, kid," the Lord of Egae held back a snigger, making it plenty obvious he was doing just that. "So, are you going to tell me what had you screaming so loudly across my domain I could've heard it in the forests of the waking north, or am I going to pry it cleanly out of your head while you writhe in agony?"

Raenef stared up at him, aghast. "You wouldn't --"

"I would, you know it, and there's nobody here but you and me. Spit it out, I'm getting bored."

"Fine, though I doubt you'll be any help," Raenef mumbled, moving to sit on whatever the nothing was that he was standing on. By the time he managed to kneel, the two demons were in a garden brimming with the rich scent of flowers and springtime, sylphs fluttering around like butterflies. Krayon had resumed his seated position, this time in a visible chair. He twisted a finger through the waves of his hair, peering distastefully at Raenef, who remained seated on the grass. Impatiently, he gestured to the chair on the other side of the table his elbow rested on.

"If you will, Lord Raenef. I believe your dear Eclipse would inform you not only that it is unbefitting for a Demon Lord to humble himself in front of another Lord, but also that it's a bitch getting grass stains out of white."

Raenef blushed angrily and took the seat, sitting on the edge as he folded his arms defensively. Krayon's eyebrow remained cocked as he waited for the boy to explain himself.

"I wanted to ask Meruhesae about Eclipse."

"What, planning a family?"

"Kindly stop trying to bait me. You wanted to know, and now I'm telling you against my will but I can't if you keep interrupting me."

"Fine, fine..." Krayon's posture became distinctly sulky, and he resumed playing with a strand of golden hair.

"I wanted to ask Meruhesae about who Eclipse was before he became my tutor. You, the Fourth Raenef, everybody I come across...you all know things about him that I don't, and he won't tell me a thing," the boy finished quietly, studying his hands which had migrated to his lap.

Krayon was unusually contemplative for a long moment. "Well, mate, your luck might just be in. Do you know what dreams are?"

Raenef looked puzzled. "They're things you have when you're asleep."

"Yes," Krayon assented, "and no. A dream is a memory. It might be of things that have already happened, things which are happening, or things that haven't happened yet. I control dreams. That means I have access to a copy of everything that's ever happened and everything that will. Do you get my drift?"

"I think so...you mean, if I could control dreams I'd never need to read a book again?" Raenef ventured.

"That's not what I meant at all, though hypothetically you have a point. What I was trying to put across is that in exchange for, let's say...a month's worth of evening visits to your fine home in the company of your dear friends, I could construct a set of dreams for you that would tell you all you'd ever need to know about Eclipse. One each night for a week. Lucky seven. Do we have an accord?" The Lord of Dreams held out one perfectly manicured hand, which Raenef hesitantly shook, noting the difference in size between the mature demon's fingers and his own and wondering if he was in over his head.  


_Eclipse is going to kill me_, he thought in despair. _He went off the air when I brought Erutis and Chris home, what's he going to do when Krayon shows up?_

"He'll deal with it, whether he likes it or not," Krayon smirked as he conjured something Raenef had never seen before between his hands. "Sweet dreams, Raenef."

* * *

A.N: Don't you just love Krayon? He's such a devious little bitch, and I find it a shame that a lot of people write him off as nothing more than comic relief when he has so much evil potential. Stay tuned for the first dream next chapter! *points to review button* Humour me? It's already written for once and I'll be awfully sad if nobody cares... *pathetic sniffle*


	2. The First Night

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 1: The First Night**

_Rating:_ PG15+ - light R (Anyone from Australia? Think MA-15+).

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Warnings:_ Weird, violent and iffy content.

_Notes relevant to text:_ Because the dream sequence is in italics, thoughts are in between backslashes.

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion: _Thankyou to the lovely, lovely people who weren't afraid of the enormous wordcount on the intro and left me nice reviews. ^_^ Reviews make me so very happy - I mean, who doesn't thrive on quasi-anonymous praise? ^o^ Also, if it isn't obvious enough, I changed the title to something more pretentious, but also more...meaningful...? No...let's just stick with the knowledge that pretentious titles are a hobby I could stand to quit myself of. Now, without further ado, I'll shut up.

* * *

***  
_The sound of far-off battle, desperate battle, awoke Raenef to the dream Krayon had woven for him. _

_"Alithiel!"_

_Strange name. He hadn't heard anything like that before. Must be northern._

_"Alithiel! Pay attention, will you?!" A hand clamped down on his shoulder, coated with dust and flecked with what he could have sworn was blood. Lifting his gaze to the man's face, he was stunned by the beauty of it, even marred by sweat, grime and marked with worry lines. More impressive, though, were the feathery wings jutting proudly from the other's shoulder blades. A creature of Heaven, without a doubt. But why was he speaking to Raenef as if he knew him? Surely a heavenly creature could discern the difference between a Demon Lord, however diminutive, and one of his own. Raenef moved to ask just this, only to find his throat wouldn't shape the words he wanted. Instead, a young woman's tenor began to speak._

_"I apologise, Hadriod. My mind was elsewhere."_

_Now that was weird. Catching a glimpse of himself in a nearby pool of stagnant water, Raenef would have fallen over in shock if his body had obeyed him...the last time he checked, he had neither cleavage nor wings. He had expected to be a detached observer in Krayon's dream, but obviously the fey demon had other ideas. Mentally shrugging, Raenef decided to go with the flow._

_Hadriod scowled at him/her. "Hardly appropriate. This is war, girl, and there's no time for you to ogle your own reflection. Lives other than yours are at stake!" S/he blushed and hung his/her head in shame. Hadriod seemed satisfied. _

_Another of the winged beings, a young looking man with a gash on his left cheek, spoke up as if to draw attention away from Alithiel/Raenef. "Has there been any word from Aureleid? Anything of negotiations?"_

_"Alas, no. Beasts," Hadriod spat. "They have not drawn back despite their own heavy losses, and the war is likely to continue unhindered for some time. They do not care for their fallen. The Demon Lord known as Raenef is moving east with a small band of mercenaries and Crusaders, so for the moment he is not of our direct concern. Nonetheless, he will not have left his flanks guarded by only ruffians and we have heard rumours that he is accompanied by the Third Order demon, Ecli--" the word was lost in a gurgle of blood that spilt over Hadriod's unshaven chin even as he looked down at the wet blade protruding from between his ribs. _

_Alithiel/Raenef let out a thin scream, clutching at her/his arms in wide-eyed terror as the captain fell forward and his murderer was revealed. Clad all in black, bony armour adorning his shoulders, a scarf over his mouth and nose as if to ward off the rancid stench of the air his enemies dared breathe, Eclipse flicked the sword he'd stolen neatly out of the fallen creature's scabbard to free it of the bright mess. As he stabbed it into the ground and Hadriod's blood, unable to be absorbed by the ruined earth, pooled around it as it trickled downhill, Raenef heard the slight snort he associated with the Eclipse he knew as making when his time had been wasted. The dark eyes staring out of that pale face were so cold that he shuddered inwardly; gods willing Eclipse would never look at him like that._

_The remaining creatures of heaven - Alithiel/Raenef, the young man with the bleeding cheek and an older woman who had moved herself between the two of them and the demon, spread their wings aggressively and reached for their respective weapons. //Why aren't they using magic?// As if in reply to her unseen passenger's question, Alithiel's thought rang out clearly and terrified: //We have nothing left. Rased save us, we're going to die here.//_

_"**Monster**!" the oldest of the trio shrieked, charging blindly at the smirking demon. Raenef felt Alithiel's horror as the woman drew back her sword arm, but the blow never landed. Eclipse extended one hand and half-slapped-half-threw her headfirst into the cliff face, the sickening crunch of bone echoing off the wall of solid rock. She was frighteningly still, and one didn't need to see the spreading stain of blood or the chips of white scattered through her golden hair to know that she was dead._

_Through the heavenly creature's eyes, Raenef watched in morbid fascination as Eclipse returned his attention to the remaining two, seemingly satisfied at his success thus far._

_"You are nothing but a beast," the young man snarled, blocking Alithiel/Raenef from Eclipse's direct line of sight with a dusty wing. He was muttering, words Raenef could not understand but Alithiel clearly did, for the girl began begging in earnest._

_"No! Please stop...if you try to conjure you won't live through it! Please, please stop...stay with me and we'll pray for a miracle..."_

_/Fly!/The command had obviously come from the winged man, and Alithiel/Raenef could sense from the weakness of the thought that he was throwing the rest of his life force into the blast forming at his fingertips. The incanting stopped, and the niche the group of three occupied filled with brilliant white light as he landed face-first in the dust with his fallen comrades. Using the momentary distraction, Alithiel/Raenef heaved a sob and took to the air._

_As they hung over the canyon and the creature of heaven wept hopelessly for her lost friends, Raenef observed that he thought he'd like to try flying with wings one of these days, and perhaps he'd ask Eclipse for a spell...Eclipse. Where was...?!_

_Searing pain shot through her/his shoulder, and Alithiel/Raenef spiralled out of control to crash into the rocky terrain below, blacking out. When s/he awoke, it was to even worse pain which the angelic creature quickly assessed to be broken ribs, one of which s/he felt protruding through skin; a damaged lung and gods-knew-what-else from the upright rock which had broken the bones; judging by the blurry vision, a concussion; and...oh gods... S/he let out a soft cry of resignation. Even if Eclipse left her/him, s/he was going to die._

_Her/his vision was brought sharply into focus as Raenef recognised the black boots of his tutor. The coppery smell of blood seemed to engulf the demon as he reached down to pick up Alithiel/Raenef's ruined body by the fractured and bleeding wings, which twitched uselessly of their own accord. _

_Eclipse drew her/him up to eye level and held them at arm's length, his expression mocking and cruel beneath the masking scarf. "So, where's your Rased with your miracle now?"_

_Alithiel/Raenef looked into the face of her/his killer, and tears rolled freely down her/his cheeks. _

_"Please," s/he murmured, "I need to live, ple--"_

_Eclipse's free hand shot forward, straight through her/his light armour, through flesh and bone and neatly out the other side into a mangled mess of brightly dyed, matted feathers. Alithiel/Raenef let out a silent scream as s/he hung impaled on the outstretched arm of the demon in black while overhead, lightning cracked._

***

Raenef woke up screaming the scream the creature of heaven hadn't the breath to give air to, and barely made it to the side of his bed before he retched violently on the floor.

* * *

Endnotes: *teary eyes* You scratch my back, I'll stop talking about upchuck. Deal? 


	3. Of The Aftermath, Cooking and Krayon

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 2: Of The Aftermath, Cooking and Krayon**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating:_ PG (this chapter)

_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai (*waves Demon Diary excuse flag*)

_Notes relevant to text:_ Thoughts are back to plain old italics again.

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion:_ *gapes* Mein Gott, thankyou _so _much for saying such nice things about this...I genuinely can't come up with a way to put across how blown away I am by your comments. I'm happy people are enjoying it, and it makes me even happier when people come back for more. 

Countdown to shutup...5...4...3...2...1...By the way, I lied about the upchuck. :)

* * *

Startled awake by the wave of frightened energy emanating from his liege's chambers, the last thing Eclipse expected to find was Raenef bent ineloquently over the edge of his blankets, shoulders still shuddering with the occasional dry heave. Amidst the heavy breathing and far less pleasant sounds, Eclipse thought he could hear his name being called. 

"Ec...Ecl...'clipse...w-why...?" The boy burst into noisy tears and Eclipse hurried to his side, crawling over the bed to avoid stepping in the smelly mess on the floor. He'd deal with that later.

"Master Raenef? Whatever is the matter? Are you ill?" _Stupid question, Eclipse._

Raenef's teary eyes spilt over again as he clamped them shut, flinging himself at his mentor and burying his face in the crook of his neck. Eclipse's hands automatically moved up to stroke Raenef's hair and back as he continued to blubber, fisting his small hands in the silk of the robe Eclipse had thrown on before teleporting. They sat there, Raenef almost completely in his tutor's lap, rocking quietly until the hysterical sobbing subsided. Eclipse tried again, rhythmically stroking the sleep-mussed hair beneath his fingers.

"Master Raenef, what's wrong? Please tell me."

"It's nothing," the boy managed, his voice thickened by sleep and crying. "Just a nightmare...it's not real..." 

He snuggled closer, now gripping a handful of dark hair. Before Eclipse could respond to his proclamation the door flew open to admit Erutis, looking terribly worried, and Chris, half-asleep and holding his nose.

"What in the name of Holy Rased did you do to him, Eclipse? Did you give him food poisoning?" Erutis scuttled across the cold floor in socked feet and clambered up onto the bed, pressing a hand against Raenef's temple. The boy had been sweating and was now shivering slightly where it had dried icily on his skin and clothes, but he didn't appear to have a temperature.

Chris began chanting through his plugged nose, "Gweat Wased, pwotect yoo chiwd fom d' poisons of dis foul demon..." 'Enlightenment' thwacked him on the head, and he too pointed an accusing finger at Eclipse. "You were twyig to poison _us_ id d'first pwace, weren't you?!"

Raenef sniffled miserably, and Eclipse resumed gently stroking his hair while he glared daggers at the human intruders. (Multitasking was, naturally, one of his specialties.)

"I most certainly did not poison him, girl," he snapped at Erutis, "and while you're at it, stop leaning on me. As for _you_," he growled at Chris, "you can rest assured that if I ever did try to kill you, Rased himself couldn't stop me. Now if you'll kindly remove yourself from Master Raenef's chambers, you may check on his ongoing state of life in the morning."

"But--"

"_Out_, knight!"

Erutis felt the tingling that usually predicated Eclipse setting her on fire, and she backed hastily in the direction of the door. Chris fled past her, already shrieking. Edging around the doorframe, she cast one final concerned glance at Raenef. He was still huddled against Eclipse, tracks of tears drying on his face as his back was stroked soothingly. _Gods...that demon really is guarding him...it's just..._

"So _cuuuuuuute_!" she squealed aloud. The longhaired demon's face lost its momentary serenity, and Erutis fled down the corridors in search of water to extinguish the flames erupting from her posterior.  


* * *

Dawn's first light found both demons bleary-eyed and ill-rested. Raenef had curled himself up in Eclipse's lap, muttering occasionally, and Eclipse had carefully shifted one arm free of the boy's grasp for long enough to tug a blanket over his thin shoulders. When the sun had risen far enough to warm the chill from the marble floor, a soft knock sounded at the door.

Erutis peeked hesitantly into the room, rubbing the remnants of the magical burn on her behind self-consciously. 

"Raenef...? Are you awake?" she called softly.

A slight shuffling from the canopied bed. "Erutis? Yes, I'm awake."

"Chris and I made breakfast, if you're hungry." Eclipse's left eyebrow shot up in alarm, and Raenef's head finally inched into view. He looked haggard, but was smiling ever so slightly.

"Really? What did you make?"

"Pancakes."

"Yay!" Raenef squeaked, in a fairly convincing imitation of his usual joviality. He tugged at the belt of his tutor's robe, which Eclipse quickly re-tied before Erutis could move in for a closer look. "Come on, Eclipse! You don't have to cook for once! Pancakes!"

* * *

Eclipse was none too certain exactly what had been placed in front of him, despite the flour-coated cleric boy's claim that the charred smelling mess was, in fact, a stack of pancakes. His lord, on the other hand, seemed determined not to offend his friends and chomped happily away. Demon Lord or not, he still had the iron stomach of a thief. Carefully, he picked at the edge of one with his fork and even more hesitantly brought it to his mouth. Had a casual observer been well-versed in reading the demon's expressions (or lack thereof), they would have recognised the abject shock on his face which manifested itself as a tiny twitch of his right eye. The stuff he'd put in his mouth didn't actually taste that bad, aside from being a tad overcooked. Not that he'd ever admit it to the two chefs-in-training; oh no. He'd visit Krayon dressed in a frilly pink ball gown before he ever even contemplated the thought.

Raenef glanced at him, offering a tired smile to wash his pride down with, and Eclipse found himself memorising the way his master's eyes slid almost closed when he was happy. He sighed quietly in relief; anything, even sitting at a noisy, uncouth table with a pair of human ruffians was better than the night he'd spent holding Raenef, too frightened to sleep, shivering and miserable, while he himself was powerless to do anything about it.

He shook his head to clear it of morbid thoughts. Gods willing, there would never be a repeat performance.

* * *

The rest of the day passed without incident. Chris attempted to avoid completing his practice swings, Erutis thumped him for it, Raenef fell asleep in his lessons and his tutor, filled with a sense of nostalgia at the airhead the boy had once been, allowed him to get away with it for once.

It was as the four of them sat down to dinner and the previous night's unpleasantness was only a shadow in Raenef's memory that the blonde demon was struck with the awful feeling he'd forgotten something.

Said something breezed airily through the door, cloak swirling dramatically behind him as he took a seat at the table by Erutis, who edged away from him.

"Great. Just great. What on earth are _you_ doing here?" she whined as Krayon attempted to 'casually' scoot closer to her.

The Demon Lord of Egae aimed a pointed, hurt look at Raenef. "I know you're not the sharpest knife in the block, kid, but don't tell me you've forgotten out little agreement already?"

"_What_ agreement?" Eclipse snarled as his skin prickled with the realisation that it could have been Krayon himself who had sent the nightmare to his charge.

Before Raenef could open his mouth to blunder his way through a response, Krayon pouted prettily and leaned over the table in front of Eclipse, twirling a lock of the other demon's dark hair between his bejewelled fingers. 

"Well now, somebody's unjustifiably hostile today...sleep well?" He laughed airily and drew away as Eclipse snatched his hair back, obviously making a mental note to wash it as soon as possible.

"Krayon, _what agreement?_!"

"That's 'Lord' Krayon to you," the other man snapped before smiling as disarmingly as he could manage (which wasn't, let's face it, particularly reassuring to anyone at the table). "Your dear little master invaded my realm last night, without my permission. I let him go on the condition that an open invitation to this castle was extended to me for the period of a month. I'm simply making good on my end of the benefits, mate."

He shot a sideways glance at Erutis, whose scowl deepened as the bridge of his nose tinted a slight pink. "Of course, if you'd like to...modify...the agreement in exchange for your own services, I'll be only too happy to revise it. The offer is always there."

"Thankyou for your offer, _Lord_ Krayon, but I'm perfectly content where I am," Eclipse replied politely through his clenched teeth.

Dinner was, considering the unwelcome company, almost as uneventful as the day had been. Krayon, for his part, ignored Raenef completely, opting for harassing the sword master instead. Said sword master soon discovered that the eccentric demon had once more deigned not to appear in person when he trailed a hand up her thigh and she attempted to lop his arm off.

"Opacity, love," was all he offered in explanation.

Eclipse watched silently as his lord and master withdrew again, becoming pale and quiet. He had no idea what the curly-haired fop had done to him the night before, but Krayon had to go, and soon. 

"It appears your cooking has had an adverse affect on Lord Raenef," he quipped at Chris, whose response was to look more confused than affronted. "My lord, perhaps you should retire for the night."

Raenef's head shot up from where it had been studying the pattern of his plate. "Eh? ...Oh. Yes, you're probably right. Sleep would be nice."

Erutis and Chris took their cue to flee before Eclipse could bully them into clearing the table or shooing Krayon.

"G'night, all!" Chris bellowed from down the corridor.

"Sweet dreams, cutie!" Erutis added.

"She thinks I'm cute..." Krayon giggled behind his steepled fingers in an uncanny impersonation of a twelve-year-old.

"Go home. The girl was hardly talking about _you_," Eclipse snapped as he vanished in search of his master's requisite bedtime cookie and glass of milk.

The two demon lords eyed each other over the table, Raenef looking for all the world like a blonde deer caught in star-shaped headlights. It was Krayon who broke the stalemate, sweeping his cloak about him and pushing his chair in neatly.

"Thankyou for your kind hospitality, Lord Raenef. I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on, hm?"

As he passed behind Raenef's chair on his way to the door, the Lord of Dreams paused and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder as he stooped down to eye level. His breath blew hotly against Raenef's ear, and the boy could have sworn he felt the malicious smirk the other demon wore biting into his skin.

"Do you want to know the clincher of that little dream I sent you?" Krayon paused for effect, obviously not expecting a response. "All those pretty, pretty creatures of heaven...they weren't soldiers. They were hardly even conscripts - that's why your feathered friend treasured the thought that she could live by pleading. Your lovely mentor plays by numbers, not fairness or empathy, kid. And I guess numbers rise when you rip a bunch of all-but-civilians into pieces. He'll teach you that one day, but until then you've got the memory of that girl's sweet mouth bleeding and twisted to remind you."

By the time Eclipse reappeared holding a tray, Krayon had vanished.

* * *

_Endnotes:_ Poor little Raenef. Grumpy old Eclipse. Bitchy mean Krayon. Rather long chapter. Next chapter painful. Want to see?


	4. Of the Second Dream, and The Beginning

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 3: Of The Next Dream, And The Beginning**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating:_ PG-15+ (this chapter)

_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai, mild gore

_Notes relevant to text:_ Double backslashes once again denote thoughts during the dream sequence, and single backslashes denote flashbacks.

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion: _Yay! More beautiful reviews! Silent Sorrow, you're still with me? *glomps and huggles back* Sankyuu so very much. ^_^ 

* * *

  
Something was not right. Eclipse knew it the instant he teleported back to his little lord and saw him ashen-faced, staring unseeingly across the room. The only sound was the careful, metered breath Raenef was drawing in at strangely irregular intervals. _Gods, why did I leave him with Krayon? He's miserable again. _

"Master Raenef? Come, you should sleep now. You do not look well."

The boy's eyes unglazed as he smiled at his mentor. "Yes, you're right. I don't feel sick but I am tired," he admitted.

Twin 'go's later, and Eclipse began his nightly battle to keep his master's sheets free of cookie crumbs and milk stains. Brushing the worst of the mess off the surface of the fresh sheets (he hadn't been able to stand the idea of Raenef curling himself up in the sweat-scented cloth and the memory of the previous night's unhappiness and had changed them as soon as the boy had given him time to blink), he straightened the blankets and attempted to pry the tray out of the other's hands. Raenef's mind had drifted into his eyes, and it was only the slight tug at his fingertips that brought him back to reality. 

"Eclipse?"

"Yes, Master?"

"D...d'youthnkI'lhavvatdrm'gen?" Raenef asked meekly.

Eclipse donned his best 'What Have I Told You About This?' face and primmest voice. "Demon lords do not mumble. What did you say, my lord?"

Raenef twisted his hands in the bed sheets in much the same way that he had clung to Eclipse the night before. "Do you think I'll have that dream again?" he repeated quietly, but considerably more distinctly.

Eclipse eased himself onto the edge of the bed, and stilled the boy's hands with one of his own. "Considering you won't tell me what it was about, sir, it is difficult for me to gauge. However, if you encountered Krayon and had the dream afterwards, it seems likely that it was just a nasty parting gift to thank you for disturbing him. Sleep well, my lord. If you should need me, you have only to call."

"I know. Goodnight, Eclipse. I'm sorry for keeping you up all of last night." Raenef watched as his tutor's eyebrows furrowed together and waited until the man's lips parted to add, "I know, 'demon lords do not apologise, especially to their minions.' But I meant what I said, and that's the end of it. Get some sleep."

"Thankyou, sir." Resignedly, resting his forehead in the palm of his hand in a familiar gesture of exasperation, Eclipse muttered 'go' and vanished from view.

Raenef's improved humour disappeared with his servant. Shaking, he huddled under the covers as if their warmth could ward off Krayon's mocking voice, Alithiel's shrieks and the awareness that there was more to Eclipse than he'd wanted to admit. Those cold, cold eyes...He didn't want the dream to come, but he knew it was inevitable. Determined not to disturb anyone this time, Raenef closed his eyes and fell asleep.  


* * *

***  
_He stood outside amongst a group of people who almost seemed familiar, if only for the sandy hair that denoted them as southerners. //Okay, Krayon. Who am I this time?// Judging by the considerable weight of armour that would have crushed his waking self and the equally heavy sword at his hip, Raenef swiftly came to the conclusion that he was probably inhabiting the body of a mercenary, and a man at that. A small part of him was grateful - if Eclipse resorted to violence to the degree he had with the group of heavenly creatures, at the very least the gruff, seasoned warrior was unlikely to scream and plead and maybe he might get through this dream without rousing the entire castle._

_"Come forth, Demon Lord!" An old man, bent with age and leaning heavily on a walking stick, had scuffed his way to the front of the mob, dragging a group of village girls dressed in the finery of an Offering along with him by the chain that bound their wrists. Two of the group bumped into each other and yelped softly. The man, by appearances a village elder, glared back at them as he rubbed a gnarled and arthritic thumb along the cool links of metal._

_Raenef's host shifted uneasily, his eyes fixed on the third girl from the end. It didn't take an awful lot of digging to learn that she was his sister, and about to be offered as a bride to a Demon Lord. //But which demon?//_

_A murmur worked its way through the crowd, and someone whispered to him. "Look up! The bastard's come out of his cave at last."_

_The man followed the other's extended finger, and Raenef realised why everything felt so familiar - he was standing out the front of his own castle. It was unmistakable, not only for the golden sun engraved into the mountain above it or the intricately carved pillars, but for the cloaked shadow far above him which could be nobody but Raenef the Fourth. The man's human eyes weren't as sharp as Raenef's demon ones, but he was fairly sure his predecessor wore the dangerously unpredictable masked expression he'd worn when he first returned from the dead. Silence reigned._

_"Well? For what reason have you disturbed me?"_

_The Demon Lord's regal lilt drifted down from his lofty position, and the softness of his voice seemed to lull the girls into a false sense of security._

_"Great Raenef the Fourth! We have come to barter peace between your realm and our three villages. We offer you these women as tokens of our goodwill." Kneeling, arms thrown skyward and walking stick forgotten, the elder pulled on the chain with strength fuelled by near-hysteria. The six girls, some of whom were considerably younger than Raenef himself, stumbled forward awkwardly. _

_"I see." The older Raenef appeared to be amused, and his successor could tell instinctively that the canny demon was about to bait the old man below him. "What, no jewels or animals or silks?"_

_Right on target. _

_"We...we have no riches greater than the beauty of youth since you began pillaging and destroying our land! You must know this!" The elder warbled, losing his previously insurmountable strength and groping for his cane as he struggled back to his feet._

_"That's hardly the point, old man. But I will accept your flawed offering simply because you have amused me." Raenef's voice trailed off momentarily as he incanted something, and the shackled girls reappeared behind him. _

_"Flawed...how **dare** you, demon!" Raenef's host roared, drawing his weapon despite the fact there was nothing within reach worth aiming it at. The people around them drew back, as if afraid to be associated with him._

_The world spun into teleportation, and the mercenary and his demonic passenger landed face-first on the sandstone of the outer courtyard, barely a sword's length away from the dark-haired Demon Lord's feet. One elegant black boot edged out from under the voluminous folds of his robe and caught them under the chin. Raenef offered his groaning sympathy as his host grunted uncomfortably._

_"I dare because I may. How presumptuous of you to think that you could so much as split a hair on my head with nothing but a sword and a familial tie, human. You know nothing of real beauty." Raenef shook the man's jaw off his foot as he turned to the dark clad man who stood silently behind the shivering girls. "Come here, Eclipse."_

_The boy-Raenef could have sobbed with relief when his tutor stepped forward, dressed in his simple robe and sandals instead of the savagely spiked armour, and wearing the not-quite-blank expression of annoyance at his lord's antics. The Demon Lord turned on his heel to face the mercenary again, sliding one hand along Eclipse's shoulders and manoeuvring the other to stroke the man's chin._

_"This, human, is beauty. Everlasting beauty rather than the flawed kind you have offered me, which will wither and die so quickly." He peered at the man on the ground from beneath his inconceivably long eyelashes. "Thus, I will leave beauty to decide what to do with you and your --"_

_"Be silent!" The mercenary leapt to his feet with an impressive snarl and charged at the demon full tilt._

_Within the space of a heartbeat, Eclipse shrugged himself out of his lord's grip and stood between him and the impending danger, glaring fiercely._

_Raenef was thrown out of the mercenary as his body exploded into a fine mist of red, which the wind swept over the brides in white before carrying it to rain down on the people below. The blood that collected on the faces of the girls ran down the cheeks of the girl who was still chained third from the end as if her eyes bled tears. She collapsed and made it almost to the ground before the chain binding her to her companions halted her fall._

_Invisible, Raenef crouched on the ground as he clutched his throat, feeling the gorge rise again. He swallowed hard. //No, if I throw up or pass out here, I might never wake up. I have to wait it out.//_

_Raenef the Fourth sniffed at the mess, good humour gone. "Dispose of them quickly and don't leave a mess," he ordered before sweeping down the corridors, completely ignoring the unnaturally pink-tinged chain of girls._

_A slight smile curved Eclipse's lips. "As you wish, sir."_

_//Eclipse! No!// Raenef felt the air shift as Eclipse moved to dispel the group of humans in the most permanent way possible, and dove at him blindly in an attempt to stop the impending slaughter. Strangely enough, the dark hair of the demon was disturbed by Raenef's useless charge, and he turned to discern the source. He found nothing. Scowling at the horrified group of girls who were attempting to revive their fallen friend, he never saw the blonde boy become opaque as he tumbled over the edge of the balcony, down towards the rocks below. Raenef felt the spell being cast, saw it careering towards the shrieking humans..._  
***  
And shot upright in his bed just before he hit the ground.

Hands clamped firmly over his mouth, Raenef was momentarily proud of himself for stifling the scream building in his throat.

_Huh? I didn't scream...I'm sure I didn't. Where is that voice coming from?_ He could have sworn he heard screaming echoing from...outside. Strange.

Shivering slightly as he slipped out of bed, Raenef padded down the corridor in bare feet for what seemed like miles, following the sound of the phantom voice. He blushed brightly when he realised that his abilities most certainly extended to teleportation, and he could find the source by concentrating on it.

"Go," he whispered, all too conscious of his proximity to the room currently housing a snoring cleric.

* * *

  
Raenef reappeared on the great balcony at the front of the palace, and nearly swooned at the sense of deja vu. That was where the girls stood in their huddle, and that was where Raenef the Fourth had stroked at Eclipse like some sort of prize possession. The boy might have bristled, but it might have been the wind tearing across the unprotected space.

The wind.

There hadn't been any scream at all.

He sighed in a mixture of relief and disappointment, clutching at his arms for warmth as he moved to walk back inside, suddenly aware of the bareness of his feet and the chill in the air. He stopped stock-still when Eclipse stepped out of the shadows, hair in slight disarray presumably resulting from sleep, cloak thrown over his thin indoor robe and clutching a blanket.

"Master Raenef, I'd ask what you are doing but I'm not sure you'd tell me." He moved forward with the same grace Raenef always associated with his tutor, shaking the blanket out of its folded state and spreading it over the boy's shoulders. "Please come inside. You need sleep, not a cold."

The long-fingered hand remained on his shoulder, drawing him to the man's greater body heat. 

_/"This, human, is beauty. Everlasting beauty... Thus, I will leave beauty to decide what to do with you--"/_

"My lord?"

_/The mercenary's body exploded into a fine mist of red, which the wind swept over the brides in white before carrying it to rain down on the people below.../_

Eclipse's brow furrowed with concern, and he stooped to see if his charge was paying attention. Perhaps he should just teleport them back to Raenef's chambers.

_/"Dispose of them quickly and don't leave a mess." /_

"Are you well, my lord?'

"No...Eclipse...please..." the blonde's fingers gripped the edge of the blanket more tightly, and as an unnaturally warm mist of rain sprinkled onto his pale face, he managed to loose the beginnings of a keening wail before he dropped limply into his servant's arms.

* * *

Endnotes: I couldn't help myself. Raenef the Fourth needed some airtime, and he wouldn't go away until I gave in. I'm thinking of adding a not-so-dark omake-type chaper to break up the endless misery every now and then. What do you think?


	5. Of Confusion, Confession, And Amateur Wr...

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 4: Of Confusion, Confession, And Amateur Wrestling**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror...by now you get the gist.

_Rating:_ PG-13 (this chapter)

_Warnings:_ Heavy shounen-ai implications, reprehensible humour, grumpy Eclipse

_Notes relevant to text:_ Sorry, it's a fairly long chapter. *looks at total word count, total chapters, flinches*

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion:_ Woo! People coming back for more misery and gore! I'm glad you like it. *huggles for Silverlie* *Raenef IV plushie for Kalli*

* * *

Eclipse eased the unconscious boy back under the still-warm covers of his bed and chased an errant strand of hair from his eyes with a pale finger. Raenef's face was contorted with discomfort, as if time had spun backwards and forced him to rememorise Attributes of a Demon Lord from scratch while he slept. 

Sinking into the plush cushioning of the chair by the bedhead, Eclipse sighed and drew his cloak more tightly around himself. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever had woken the normally irrepressible demon lord so cruelly the night before would be proud to claim responsibility for the second occurrence. Images of the Lord of Egae smirking over his goblet as his clearly unwilling 'host' picked listlessly at his plate danced in his mind's eye. _What is happening to you, Lord Raenef? More to the point, why are you allowing Krayon to **make** it happen?_

Cocooned in the thick blankets and rich silk of the bed sheets, Raenef's tiny moan of distress would have gone unnoticed in its muffled state by human ears, but his servant's were much sharper and his sense of guilt and helplessness would not allow him to sit by without so much as investigating the cause.

The hand which had supported his chin while he pondered inched delicately forward to pull back the covers, extended its fingers carefully to touch the cheek of the encumbered sleeper...

"_No!_" ...and was slapped away with a vicious shriek and equally sharp movement.

Eyes widened in shock, Eclipse stepped back a pace and eyed his knuckles in the wan moonlight. He had no particular desire to see his own flesh torn open by jewellery and thanked the gods that Raenef had no overt liking of it. Judging by the angry red mark, it was time to count his blessings that Krayon's unmistakable interference had not extended to fashion sense. Stroking the abused area in a half-hearted attempt to aid the healing process, he retreated to the superficial comfort of the armchair once more to wait out the night.

By the time early beams of mottled sunlight stretched over the edge of the horizon, his mind was made up.  


* * *

"Lord Raenef? My lord, it is time for you to get up. It's already late."

Raenef made a sound akin to the death throes of a dying walrus, flipped over onto his stomach and mumbled something vaguely reminiscent of, "T'ma'to...nofanks,s'gottaface...cannteat't...bit longer?"

Eclipse hid his face in his hands, a familiar gesture of exasperation. "Master Raenef! You're going to miss breakfast."

As predicted the boy shot up in his bed, completely alert and hair a spiky, knotted mess. He took in the folded arms, neatly restrained lengths of raven's-wing hair and paler than usual complexion of his tutor, and added two and two with surprising accuracy. His expression dulled from his bright smile of greeting to something usually reserved for Erutis and Chris when their bickering reached new heights of nastiness.

"Y--You stayed here all night again, didn't you?" Raenef eyed the other demon seriously and waited for the admission of guilt.

"I did not, sir," Eclipse replied with just as much certainty.

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you will, Master, but know that I retired when you bid me do so last night, and slept until I found you wandering outside, half-naked in the rain." Raenef's eyebrow twitched, and Eclipse garnered the distinct impression that the boy either didn't remember his expedition with any clarity at all or was embarrassed by it. "It was only then that I quit my quarters for yours out of concern for your health."

The blonde flinched as if he'd been slapped. _What is it? This isn't the first time I've watched over you, so why are you so affronted?_

Gauging his question carefully, Eclipse laid a hand gently but firmly on Raenef's shoulder. "You were dreaming again - that much is obvious. Will you tell me what you have been dreaming about?"

"Nothing specific." Raenef attempted to jerk away on the pretence of scrabbling his way out of the covers, but the fingers on his shoulder tightened until he was forced into stillness.

"The Lord of Egae does not send forth nightmares comprised of unspecific images and words, and he certainly does not attack other Demon Lords without reason. Try again, Master."

The boy bristled. "What makes you think Krayon has anything to do with me having a couple of bad dreams? Sheesh, you worry too much."

Eclipse withdrew his hand and crossed his arms. "I worry about nothing without foundation."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, during which Raenef avoided eye contact in favour of a loose thread, and Eclipse continued to glare before finally breaking the standoff.

"Demon Lords do not sulk in front of their minions."

Raenef kept his head down and made a small half-choking-half-snorting sound that, if Eclipse wasn't mistaken, reeked of an attempt to muffle impending tears. _Maybe_ _I'm being too hard on him...but it is for his own good._

He chose to interpret it as a muffled laugh instead. Laughter, although equally undignified, was something he could handle from this particular demon. "I'm glad you find my instruction amusing, but I woke you so abruptly to inform you that I have been summoned to a meeting. It is of a relatively petty nature and I should be back by nightfall. Please do not neglect your studies, my lord."

Raenef nodded wordlessly, still focussed on the piece of string between his fingertips. Eclipse reached out to stroke the messy hair, but halfway there remembered the slap and shrug-off he'd received in rapid succession. He swiftly changed the course of his reach to smooth his own hair back into place, muttered "Go!" and disappeared.  


* * *

"Good mooooorning, cutie-pie!"

Erutis peeked happily around the demon lord's door, gleeful in the knowledge that Eclipse would not be there to glare holes in her for once. Or set her on fire. Or suspend her in midair. She wrung her hands and suppressed an evil cackle.

"_Erutis!_ I could have been naked!" Raenef squeaked half-heartedly.

The knight shrugged and let herself in. "Chris is trying to cook again while Eclipse isn't here to yell at him for setting the place on fire, which means breakfast is going to be scary. He nearly set me alight twice, so I thought I'd come visit! Where are you, anyway? I can't see you."

"Oh, he's setting the library on fire? Maybe you should go check on him," Raenef blundered. "I'll come out later. I'm not dressed and I'm a mess and I'm supposed to read --"

"Boo!" Erutis pounced onto the bed, grabbed him from behind and collected him in a fierce hug. Peering over his shoulder, she took in his red-rimmed eyes and miserable expression. "Rae? What's the matter? Did you have another nightmare or something?"

He let out a shuddering sigh of resignation and leaned back on the girl, who squawked and groped for purchase in the mess of pillows and blankets. "Yes, and something."

"So which are you going to tell your sis about first?" Erutis's grip on his waist and shoulders locked in much the same way Eclipse's hand had on his shoulder, and Raenef knew immediately that escape was impossible.

"I...I can't," he answered meekly.

"You can and will," she informed him, with a light tap to his unbrushed head. "Misery isn't you, Rae. Come on, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm not miserable, I'm just..."

"Solemn? Grumpy? Sixteen going on sixteen thousand? No dice, kiddo. That's what Eclipse is for. Spill it. You know I won't tell anyone, and you can't lie for peanuts." Erutis whispered urgently. "So unless you want me to sit here and guess all day until your jerky servant gets back, I suggest you take me up on my offer before you have a nosy cleric to regale as well."

As if in response to her insult, a protesting explosion followed by a shrill yelp sounded from the direction of the kitchens.

Raenef squirmed uncomfortably. "It's just something I need to work out by myself. It's nothing you should be worried about."

Erutis scowled. "It _is_ something I should worry about. You're miserable, so Eclipse is miserable too. Which means I get set on fire more often, and that isn't exactly great for my complexion."

"If being set on fire bothered you so much, why didn't you say something? I could have insisted he find something else to take out his bad temper on," the blonde grumped.

The knight's eyes took on an unholy glint as she added two and two to make five. "Great gods! You've...with _him...so cuuuute_...he's deflowered you and you don't know how to act around him! Oh Rae, your sis is so clever!" She burst into maniacal laughter. 

Raenef struggled valiantly against her grip as his nose turned a vivid pink. "_Erutis!_ _I told you before; it's not like that!_"

She hugged him so tightly he almost squeaked before declaring, "Your sis is clever, but sometimes she's a little off when she's not quite awake. He's deflowered you and you're feeling abandoned, right?"

The demon lord adopted his best 'how _dare_ you mock me!' expression and bellowed, _"There has been no deflowering of any sort!"_

"That's...er...nice to know," Chris mumbled as he peeked through the door. "I'm glad she hasn't molested you any further, demon." A drip of blood trickled from his nose, which he swiped away hastily. Thankfully, he was suitably covered in soot and ash for it to appear as more of a battle injury than anything...un-high-priestly. He schooled his expression fiercely. "Break...breakfast will be late. I just came to tell you that one of your ovens doesn't work. I've attempted to find the root of the problem, but even _my_ supergenuisness is yet to decipher the mechanics of demonic kitchen appliances. So when Eclipse comes back tell him it broke by itself, okay? ThankshavefunI'mgoingnow!"

The sound of his footsteps echoed loudly down the corridor as he fled for the sake of his purity.

Raenef used Erutis's momentary distraction to slip out of the full nelson he'd been trapped in to the extent of circulation loss. He edged quietly across the bed as she laughed at the long-gone cleric and curled up in the high-backed, high-armed, completely-and-obviously-intended-for-one-person chair that Eclipse had spent the night in.

"Eclipse," he said quietly.

Erutis stopped laughing, and noticed her arms were empty. "Eh?"

"Eclipse. All of this boils down to Eclipse, and how I should have listened to both of you in the first place." He drew his knees up to his chest, and began to relate the whole ordeal to the dumbstruck knight.  


* * *

The soles of Eclipse's fine leather boots clacked sharply on the dark marble floor of Meruhesae's dwelling.

"Meruhesae! Where are you? This ceases to be amusing," he growled. 

Eclipse had spent the better part of two hours navigating the winding halls and corridors of the Seer's home, and found no trace of her. The place teemed with her energy, the air itself hung with her scent, but she was nowhere to be found.

_Woman, what are you doing? This isn't funny. You're always home._

Eventually he found himself back in what he supposed was her main parlour - the place was damnably repetitive and festooned with drapes and silks that hid any marks identifying the difference between one room and the next. _No choice but to wait for her._ He glanced out the window; the sun was dipping low and he had no inclination to lie any further to his master than was necessary. Besides, someone had to be there to intercept Krayon when the fop arrived.

Eclipse gave in to the fatigue that had dogged him for the better part of two days, and sunk down onto the bench-seat which usually held the body of the Seer. He could almost picture her lying there, peeking coquettishly over her fan. He slumped further, and something crunched beneath him.

_What...?_

Reaching under himself, the demon found a folded sheet of parchment, addressed to him and sealed with wax that one sharp fingernail sliced through effortlessly.

_My dear Master Eclipse,_

_We all have vices. Mine happens to be the maintenance of my hair, which keeps me from you today. The question you must ask yourself is whether he will still accept you once he learns of yours. The hour is late. Does he trust you, or simply fear you?_

_You still owe me two PROPER kisses._

_Meruhesae  
xxx_

Scrunching the note in his fist, Eclipse stormed out of the dwelling in what would have been a fascinating display of bad temper, had anyone who knew him as restrained and obedient been there to witness it. In the blink of an eye he had teleported to the border of his lord's realm, and in the heartbeat that followed continued storming a path back to the castle with no name.

As was so often the case in matters relating to Master Raenef's new attributes, he needed to think.

* * *

Endnotes: Still with me? I have to say I'm impressed. And if you humour me (*points to review button*) I may even get to the point eventually.  



	6. Of the Third Night, Disputes and Confron...

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 5, Part 1: Of The Third Night, Disputes And Confrontations**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating:_ PG-13 (this chapter)

_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai (la-_duh_), general angstiness

_Notes relevant to text:_ This is part one of a huge chapter that I couldn't bring myself not to break up, despite the difficulty in finding a cutoff point. I'll post the other half as soon as I can, although I won't have internet access again until (Australian) Sunday. *ducks flying tomatoes* I promise I'll make it up to you though!

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion:_ *jaw drops* Wow, change the summary and watch the up in interest...^_^ *waves to new readers* Hiya! Scared of me yet? I won't hold it against you. *huggles as always for Silent Sorrow, Silverlie and Kalli* Greetings once again to Wizard and cookies@midnight (yes, that certainly _was_ a big enough amount of praise. #^_^# Here's ...er...part of your new chapter)! Yay! Pocky! *hug for Kuraii Koneko*

...I just read that back and realised I sound like I'm on crack.

* * *

Raenef shifted uncomfortably in Eclipse's chair, and to Erutis he suddenly looked very small and very frightened. Well, he always looked small next to his imposing servant and he was as undisputedly girly looking as Erutis herself was boyish... 

"What am I going to do, Erutis? I--I'm scared," he whimpered.

Erutis slid off the bed, joints cracking, and eased herself onto the arm of the demon lord's chair so that she could embrace him, if somewhat awkwardly. "It's going to be okay, Rae."

"How and why is it going to be okay?!" the boy yowled indignantly.

The girl shrugged sheepishly. "I don't know. It just seemed like the right thing to say. But we will think of something." Leaning over, she rested her chin on the crown of his head, allowing her exhaled breath to stir the strands of cornsilk blonde away from her nose and mouth.

"'Right thing to say' again?" Raenef mumbled.

"Yup," the knight assented. "But we are going to figure something out here. Let's see...can you renegotiate with Krayon?"

"Doubt it," the boy replied. "Erutis, ow! Quit that!" 

"Oops, sorry. Nervous habit." She stopped chewing her tongue, the movement of which was grinding the point of her chin into her captive's skull.

Raenef could all but see the gears turning in his 'page's head as she suddenly quit the chair, almost toppling it over in her haste to get to the balcony. Erutis pointed to an unremarkable spot on the horizon.

"That's it! Right over there!"

The demon lord moved to join her and followed her aim. "That hill? What's so special about it?"

"_Not_ the hill," she snapped, "the _sun_. If the sun goes down, technically it's night. When it's night, Krayon has to send you a dream. Since Eclipse isn't back yet, I can stay here until you've watched it and we can talk it through so he won't have to know. Mother always told me that dreams are less scary when you talk about them."

"Okay, we'll try it to see if it works," the boy agreed half-heartedly. "But Erutis...I never imagined that Eclipse could be so mean. His eyes are frightening."

She smacked him on the back of the head, sending his ponytail flying into his eyes. "Raenef, Eclipse is a _demon_. What do you expect him to have done all these years? Knit? There's a good reason that nearly nothing mortal likes demons, you know."

"But Erutis, I'm a --"

The girl poked him roughly in the chest. "Shut up and get ready to sleep before he gets back."

"Yes'm..." he grumbled.

Thus, Raenef the Fifth, Demon Lord of the Unnamed Castle of the Southern Mountains, famed for taking orders from his minions and taking in mortals as companions, took yet another order from a snip of a human girl and crawled back under his covers obediently. Folding his arms behind his head, he scratched at his still-untidy hair and debated whether or not he regretted losing an entire day of freedom in exchange for an utterly embarrassing, self-governed presentation on his own foolishness.

Outside and out of view, his servant's long strides brought him ever closer to home and the terrified child he hoped he wouldn't find there.

Erutis settled herself in the high-backed chair, reaching for the book someone (undoubtedly Eclipse) had left there in the hope Raenef would read it. Scanning the cover, Basics of Dark Magic, vol. 3: You Too Can Memorise More Than Your Own Name, she cast it aside in favour of twiddling her thumbs.

Far away in a realm Raenef had never consciously visited...  


* * *

  
"Get out of my way, servant," Meruhesae snapped. 

The servant girl cowed before the demon Seer, whose cascading hair rippled almost menacingly in a breeze created by her own frustrated power.

"But my Lady, Lord Krayon doesn't see anyone in his palace unannounced. He hasn't done so for centuries! You must know this!" 

"He will see me, whether he likes it or not," Meruhesae's face lost its ferocious scowl at the servant's impudence, and she reached out carefully to hold up the girl's chin with one perfectly manicured hand. The girlish smile on her face could have won over anything without cleavage (with the exception of Eclipse) and most things with. "Such a pretty child. Now, be a dear and show me to your Lord's chambers. I will vouch for your steadfast insistence that I shouldn't be in here and no fault will fall to you."

"But--"

"_Now_."

The girl's chin trembled in Meruhesae's grip as she managed to stutter out an affirmative, "Y-yes, My L-lady. Follow me."

Meruhesae was left standing at the threshold of an elegantly carved set of wooden doors that towered above her. Sniffing, she pushed one opening without so much as knocking.

"Master Kraaaayon..." she sung as sweetly as she could.

"See-eer," he called back mockingly as he materialised into the air above her head. "What are you doo-ing here?"

Nonplussed, Meruhesae stroked a wayward piece of hair back into place and spoke as if he sat across a table from her, rather than hanging childishly in the air. "You know perfectly well what I'm doing here."

Krayon stretched out of his invisible throne and began to sink towards the ground. "Terrible memory, love. Humour me. And be quick about it, would you? I've got an appointment to keep."

"Very well," the woman quipped. "What are you doing to that sweet little boy?"

The demon lord perched himself on the edge of a polished mahogany sideboard. "You know exactly what I'm doing. I'm keeping my end of our bargain. And I've even metered those dreams out over a week instead of hitting him with all of it at once, which we both know would probably serve me better. Am I not being generous enough?"

Meruhesae scowled. "That's not the po--"

"It _is_ the point, love. Still can't see that brat's future, can you?" Krayon pushed away from the piece of furniture and swaggered gracefully towards the Seer. He raised his long fingers to stroke her cheek lightly, and the defiant lift of her chin was answer enough. He smirked in a manner that could only be considered predatory.

"Tough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have plans." He drew back a step and cocked one eyebrow. "Your hair looks nice, by the way. Go!"

Left alone in the plush sitting room, Meruhesae stomped one delicate foot on the rug and hoped fervently she'd trodden in something on her way that would stain it.  


* * *

"Erutis?"

The knight glanced over to the pile of blankets and pillows, where a knot of spiky blonde hair protruded like a tail from one end. "What?"

A pause. "Where's Chris?"

Erutis blanched - for all they knew, he could have blown himself up into bite-size pieces hours ago. "Um...I guess he's still in the--"

A terrified shriek erupted from the corridor, muffled by distance but unmistakeably the cleric. _"Yaaaah! What're **you** doing here?! I thought you were Eclipse about to toast me!"_

Another voice, still muffled but obviously amused, answered him without hesitation. _"I thought you were Eclipse, hideously deformed!"_ Airy laughter followed it, and clerical chanting chased the merry sound.

"--In the kitchens, entertaining Krayon," Erutis finished.

"Oh," said Raenef. 

Another pause.

"Erutis?"

"Mm-hm?"

"I can't sleep. It's too early."

A wicked glint flashed in Erutis's eyes. "Well, we'll soon fix that." 

"How--?" Raenef's face, now imprinted with the carved pattern the knight had hatched into the handle of her wooden practice sword for grip, froze in its expression of curiosity as he fell back onto his pillows, soundly unconscious.

* * *

***_  
It was almost unbearably hot, and yet Raenef garnered the impression that Eclipse had not moved from the position behind his desk in hours. He could feel the cautious wonder of whomever he was inhabiting as the demon moved just enough to swipe a strand of hair out of his eyes, combined with obvious fatigue. This person had been standing in the same position for a considerable length of time, and was doing their absolute best to remain still and avoid drawing the demon's attention. Had he been able to move, Raenef would have squirmed in discomfort._

_Minutes that seemed like hours passed before Eclipse finally laid down the black feathered quill he had been writing with, and turned his attention to Raenef's host. Thankfully, his eyes held only the lofty disdain of one who knew himself to be superior to his immediate company and his clipped but not completely unkind voice told Raenef he was inhabiting the body of a servant - one which had yet to displease the elder demon._

_"You." Eclipse summoned Raenef and his host gratefully forward with one beckoning finger._

_"How may I please you, Master Eclipse?" A timid, quiet voice that could only belong to...//**Krayon! Will you quit turning me into a girl?!** Once was enough! Oh gods, this just isn't fair...// The small mirror beside Eclipse's desk confirmed Raenef's suspicions, and the boy huffed._

_"Go to the cellars and fetch me a pitcher of wine." Raenef cracked a smile as he recognised Eclipse's 'you haven't disappointed me too badly so I'll cut you some slack' tone. //I knew you weren't all bad! You can't let her go away or even let her sit without looking bad, but you can let her move and go somewhere cool for a while.// The demon lord danced around in merry mental circles._

_"At once, sir." The servant bowed carefully and moved on light feet to the door, which flung open in her face and knocked her to the ground. _

_Raenef had never seen demon mercenaries before, and he wasn't sure he ever wanted to again after this particular lot. Most of them were dark haired like Eclipse but dishevelled, clad in armour and tanned far beyond the pallor of the demon behind the desk by the sun. A few grinned as they spied Raenef/the servant on the floor, and their apparent leader reached out with one scarred, heavily muscled arm to yank him/her unceremoniously to his/her feet. Instead of freeing his captive, he dragged him/her against his broad chest and sniffed at his/her ear. The girl shuddered, but wisely kept her mouth shut. Raenef registered that the man not only looked scruffy and bad, but smelt horrible as well._

_"Put her down," Eclipse ordered tiredly, massaging his temples at the racket the group had brought._

_"Well, the great Eclipse is having a little fun on the side, is he?" Raenef/the servant's captor drawled. The men behind him chortled appropriately, and as Raenef/she looked up, s/he caught a glance of pointed teeth behind the cracked lips. "I don't think the Lord would be happy to see you fooling around with the staff."_

_Eclipse sighed heavily, and stood up. It was obvious that the mercenary had at least an inch or two in height over the paler demon, and probably half the body weight again._

_"Hardly, although it would not be your business if it was," he snapped. The group behind the demon holding Raenef/the servant stopped laughing. "I believe I told you to put the girl down. It took a considerable amount of time to find a servant that doesn't complain about the heat or faint like a noblewoman in a corset, and I am certain you wouldn't enjoy the consequences if I am forced to hunt for a new one." His eyes glimmered dangerously, and the smirk on the mercenary's face failed a bit._

_"Now, for what reason have you barged in here?" Eclipse eased his way around the desk to lean on the front of it, one arm folded casually over his hips. Raenef sighed in relief - for a moment he had feared for his tutor's safety with this group of smelly, uncouth ruffians, but it was becoming obvious even to him that the group was frightened._

_Raenef/the servant felt the restraining arm let up, and s/he scurried away as quickly as s/he could. The group still blocked the door and s/he glanced helplessly at Eclipse, unwilling to give him a reason to punish him/her but equally unable to carry out his order. Eclipse eyed him/her disdainfully._

_"You. Get over here and seal these envelopes. The wax and seal are both in the top drawer."_

_"Yes, sir," the servant/Raenef replied gratefully, glad not only for the seat which had been offered but also the protection which came from being behind rather than in front of Eclipse, should he choose to blow his top._

_Eclipse's face turned from disdaining to outright annoyed. "Well? Hurry up. Surely you didn't come here to stand around like a bunch of dumb mutes."_

_Plucking up his courage, the lead mercenary scowled. "We're bored. It's hot and boring here, and if you don't give us something worth doing," he leered at Raenef/the servant, "we might just have to abandon this place for greener pastures."_

_Passing a hand over his immaculate hair, Eclipse laughed - a short, humourless bark. "I assure you that you will do no such thing without permission. That said, entertain me and you may live long enough to regret your impudence," he snarled._

_"Entertain you? How?" the mercenary growled as he adjusted his armour, moving a section of it off his bare skin - if he hadn't known better, he could have sworn it was about to light up in flames._

_"I propose a game of sorts. Firstly, get your men out of my doorway before they disrupt the airflow any further." Without another word, the demons cleared a moderate passage out of the room. Eclipse's attention once again returned to the servant/Raenef._

_"The girl who arrived here as a bride despite her brother's foolish attempts to stop it, the one who weeps incessantly. Go and fetch her for me."_

_"Yes sir." The servant fled out the gap in the doorway, dragging Raenef with her._

_...To be continued_

* * *

Endnotes: *ducks flying sharps* Sorry, but I'm sure you didn't need a 5,000 word chapter. I promise the next half is better, for there is Eclipse and Raenef flangst. ^_^ ...I never realised I was writing fluff. Thanks for pointing it out, Reyana. I'll be sure to put a stop to it immediately. :) *dodges bolts of lightning no doubt sent in advance by cookies@midnight for picking on Raenef*


	7. Of the Second Part of the Third Night

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 5, Part 2: Of The Third Night, Disputes And Confrontations**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating:_ PG-15 (this chapter)

_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai (la-_duh_), more considerable angstiness

_Notes relevant to text:_ Guess I could've just made one chapter short and one really long...*shrugs* Oh well, too late now. As always, thoughts are marked by double backslashes and emphasis by...you'll figure it out.

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion:_ Reyana - Uh-oh, I don't think you're going to forgive me for the second half of this chapter, but bear in mind it was written before you threatened. *cringes* But fear not, even I have a limited attention span for torture. We've just about hit rock bottom for the poor little guy now, so I can't make it much worse without killing someone off. Which isn't necessary, in my opinion. Silverlie - Hope it doesn't disappoint. ^_^ Kalli - _me _hurry up? How about you? *whines* Want more naked Raenef IV... 

* * *

_They ran down the corridors, weaving in and out of doorways with a confidence Raenef was sure Chris would kill for until they came across a bedraggled, miserable looking girl in the kitchens. Looking harder, Raenef recognised her as the sister of the human mercenary Raenef had travelled with in his last dream, right up until...//No, can't think about that right now...have to pay attention.//_

_"Aerilyn! Come quickly, Master Eclipse wishes to see you."_

_"Ha," Aerilyn spat as she put down the knife she'd been using to chop vegetables far more harshly than necessary. "What, finally going to kill me, is he? You should know, Katja. You spend enough time standing like some sort of porcelain ornament in the corner of his chambers."_

_The servant, now more than a nameless entity, scowled. "I don't think so. But you must hurry or he may change his mind." S/he tugged impatiently on the girl's arm, and they ran through the heat back to Eclipse and the group of mercenaries._

_"About time," Eclipse growled as the two girls and Raenef stumbled through the door, obviously out of breath. "You may leave us now." He inclined his head at Katja/Raenef, and the girl bowed before turning on her heel, leaving Raenef behind her. _

_//Eh?//_

_"You, on the other hand, I have a proposal for." Raenef blinked and suddenly found himself looking at Eclipse out of Aerilyn's narrowed eyes._

_"What sort of proposal?" s/he huffed, jutting his/her chin forward defiantly. The squad of mercenaries chortled._

_"One that will rid these halls of your bawling one way or another." Eclipse offered her a particularly malignant smirk, and Raenef was glad it wasn't his stomach doing somersaults for once. "You will go with these soldiers to your village. They will leave you on the outskirts and you will have three hours to convince the populace that they are about to be raided. After that, the pillage will begin and you will be free to do as you wish."_

_Raenef/Aerilyn felt the colour drain from his/her face. "You cannot do this! The--the offerings meant your Lord must do us no harm!"_

_"Nonsense," Eclipse spat back. "Lord Raenef never agreed to anything. Do you wish to give up your chance to warn whatever is left of your family and friends?"_

_His eyes were mocking and cold as he waited._

_"N-no, of course not," s/he grumbled._

_"It is agreed then. Now remove yourselves from my chambers before I lose my temper." Eclipse glared at them, clearly irate. If he hadn't been tossed over the shoulder of the head mercenary with his unhappy host at that moment, Raenef would almost have laughed at the way the huge men scuttled under Eclipse's disapproval._

_The mercenaries stalked clankingly through the corridors until they reached a stable of sorts at one end of the palace that Raenef had never seen before. Crusaders wandered around freely, and Raenef felt Aerilyn suppressing a squeal at the sight of the draconic minions of Raenef the Fourth._

_"You'll ride with me," the mercenary captain intoned as he swung himself onto the back of one of the beasts, shoving Aerilyn/Raenef roughly in front of him. "I don't know what Eclipse is playing at, but you'd better be worth it."_

_The girl shuddered, and the movement was masked as the Crusader stretched its massive wings and took to the air, followed by its brethren._

_Raenef noted, as they flew under the blazing sun, that he was learning a lot in this dream; firstly that he didn't want mercenaries, secondly that if you wore a dress and sat side-saddle on the back of a Crusader mercenaries were likely to attempt looking up your skirts, and thirdly, that Crusaders were both uncomfortable to ride on and almost as smelly as their riders._

_As the village came into view, the mercenaries on their draconic mounts dropped back and landed in a forest clearing while Raenef/Aerilyn's captor made good on Eclipse's word and tossed him/her roughly to the ground as they swooped past a hillside leading down into the cluster of buildings._

_After determining that nothing was broken or injured past bruising or scratches, Aerilyn/Raenef forced her/himself to her/his feet and fled for the confines of the village._

_As s/he ran, people stopped to stare and whisper. She returned their stares just as openly. _

_"Don't just stare at me! Run! Run for your lives! They are coming to flatten this whole place to the ground!"_

_The villagers eyed each other suspiciously before an old woman stepped from behind her spinning wheel. "Stay where you are! Girl, you are either a phantom or a vassal of the Demon Lord and we cannot trust you. Begone!"_

_"I am neither! They let me go to warn whom I would!"_

_The crone cackled. "They let you go? Of course they did, dear. A demon lord rejected a bride." The people gathering in the market murmured uneasily. " Now begone! We see you not and hear you not!"_

_Aerilyn/Raenef watched in horror as the old woman slowly and deliberately crossed her arms and turned her back to them. _

_"But--"_

_One by one, the villagers glared at her/him and turned away until s/he was left completely without an audience._

_"Fine!" s/he spat, "You can all die! See if I care!"_

_S/he collected her skirts and ran down a side street, out of view. Panting for breath, Aerilyn/Raenef choked back a sob and made for the next corner and the fourth house beyond it. Exhausted fists thumped on the door until a tall, kind-eyed blonde woman opened it._

_"Aerilyn? It can't be you! What are you doing here?" Without a second thought, the owner of the residence grabbed her/him by he elbow and ushered them inside._

_"There is no time left to explain. Pack as much as you can and run. We need to get out of here, the demons are coming to sack the place!" Aerilyn/Raenef sputtered._

_"How do you kn--"_

_"That's a story for when we get out of here. For the love of Rased, hurry! Where is the boy?"_

_The woman's face softened. "He is sleeping. He looks so much like his father I hadn't the heart to wake him."_

_Aerilyn/Raenef made a dismissive, frustrated grunt and without another word, the woman moved to fetch her slumbering child._

_Gusts of wind began to blow down the unpaved street, unusual for the time of day and the season. Warily, Aerilyn/Raenef stuck her/his head out the window to determine the cause as screams began to waft along on the bursts of air, combined with the bitter smell of smoke._

_"No...gods, no...it can't be...they lied to me!" S/he smashed her fists against the wall. "They said three hours!"_

_The blonde woman reappeared with a dark haired boy in her arms, who was attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes with little success._

_"Three hours...what are you talking about?"_

_As if in reply, a blast of fire hit the roof of the house and brought it down on the occupants, blocking the doorway. In the air above the wreckage, the head mercenary laughed uproariously at his own skill before directing his mount away to another dwelling._

_Aerilyn/Raenef sunk to the ground with her/his eyes wide open in a state of catatonia. Raenef knew she could see, could hear, but was powerless to move._

_Across the room, the little boy wailed at being thrown clear of the mess, rubbing a sore spot on his shin. His mother smiled crookedly and sank to her knees, touching the tips of her fingers to the back of her head. She brought them around to look at and didn't seem surprised to find them bright red. The woman crumpled further to the floor as blood seeped down her back, dying the simple white shift dress she wore. Her son started to cry._

_"Mama?" he sniffled through his tears._

_"No, don't cry, baby." She offered him one last broken smile that shone from her own streaming eyes. " It will be alright. Mother loves you very much...hush, Chris. Rased, please protect my child..."_  
***  
Raenef curled over on his side, clutching his middle as he bit his lip to keep from crying out.

"Master Raenef? Are you well?" Eclipse's face hung over his own as the dark-haired demon leaned from his seated position by his master's waist.

The boy whined softly and moved his confused grasp to his head, still trying to bite back whatever reaction the muddle of thoughts screaming through his head were bidding him to loose. A dull repetitive thud sounded behind the demon, and Raenef looked up to see Erutis suspended mid-air, thumping on the shield that held her as she attempted to free herself.

He glanced back at Eclipse and found him wearing the same slight smirk he'd worn as he offered the servant girl a choice between death and an end befitting a drama queen. Suddenly, Raenef was furious. He drew back his hand and slapped his servant full across the face. While Eclipse's face registered shock more than actual hurt, Raenef threw himself at his tutor anyway, pummelling his fists against the other's chest as the tears began to flow.

"Why?! Why did you do that?! Why do you _hurt_ people?!" the boy near-screamed from his position beneath Eclipse's chin.

Eclipse, still dumbstruck by the relatively painless but nonetheless grossly out of character onslaught, did the only thing he could think of: he brought his arms up and caught the boy in a solid embrace which he refused to break, even as his charge struggled and yowled like a kicked cat. Eventually he felt the slump that signified Raenef had given up at last. He waited until the blonde's breathing became deep and regular before he asked so quietly that Raenef wasn't sure he'd heard it...

"Are you afraid of me?"

Erutis stopped thumping in her lofty prison. Krayon's gleeful laughter sounded out again, closer than it had been. Chris, presumably, was wandering around lost after his attempts to ditch his unwelcome companion. Eclipse waited silently.

And finally, Raenef answered him. "I don't know. I just don't know anymore."

* * *

Endnotes: *flinches at excessive use of creative liberty* Nonetheless, I firmly believe the only way the relationship Raenef has with Eclipse could be threatened is if Eclipse was instrumental in the demise of either Erutis or Chris, so it was necessary to keep the whole thing plausible. Note to self: Needs more Krayon.


	8. Of Knightnapping and ClericZapping

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 6: Of Knightnapping and Cleric-Zapping**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating:_ PG (this chapter)

_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai (kinda comes with the territory)

_Notes relevant to text:_ Fairly short chapter, flashback in italics.

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion:_ I'm so sorry for taking a ridiculous amount of time to get this written - real life bit me in the butt and insisted I write essays instead of fanfiction. *growls* Schedule is clear now, so updates should resume as normal. Oh yeah, I set up a LJ account for updates. It won't house any chapters, but will inform those who care about what has/hasn't been updated and when/why not. The address is and no, it's not my blog-blog. Even _I_ couldn't make a layout that bad deliberately...*wanders off grumbling* Thanks for waiting - it's not as dark this time! *hugs for reviewers*

* * *

"Well, how revoltingly sweet," Krayon crooned in a high-pitched falsetto as he entered the room, polished boots clacking on the marble floor.

Without releasing his hold on Raenef, Eclipse shot the other demon a glare as menacing as was within his technically subservient bounds. Unflustered, the Lord of Egae returned the gesture of welcome with something that was far more teeth than an actual smile. He cast his attention to Erutis, still hanging in mid-air, praying audibly to every god she could lay her tongue to that she'd gone unnoticed. Krayon clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"This won't do at all. Eclipse, you're really more beast than man! Suspending a lady up in the air like that where anybody could..." a step forward, "let's say..." another step, bringing him just past Eclipse and Raenef as he bent at the waist, "look up her--"

Erutis squeaked in displeasure as Eclipse released her bonds and sent her crashing onto Krayon, knocking both of them to the ground in a jumble of arms and legs and cloaks and hair. Raenef watched mutely, still huddled in his servant's grasp, as Erutis's face morphed from annoyance at being dropped from a not insignificant height into a horrified grimace. If anyone in the castle with no name had ever doubted Erutis's femininity, the glass-shattering shriek she let out as she clambered to her feet and scrambled behind Eclipse erased any remaining illusions they may have possessed.

"_Pervert!_" she screamed at Krayon, clutching her skirt and forcing it down over her thighs until the fabric threatened to tear. "Keep your gods-damned hands to yourself!"

Adjusting his cloak and stroking a strand of golden hair back into place, Krayon offered her a slightly more genuine smile as he attempted to regain his dignity.

"That," he quipped primly, "was unnecessary."

"The screaming or Eclipse dropping her on your head?" Raenef asked around the tip of his thumb.

Keeping his focus on the beleaguered knight, Krayon occupied the chair by Raenef's bed and eyed the three others with amusement. 

"You know, Eclipse, if it wasn't for the charming swordswoman I'd be temped to believe you were running a daycare centre."

Raenef felt the growl building in his tutor's throat as the other demon adjusted his hold from the simple restraint it had begun as to a far more defensive gesture.

"Lord Krayon," the dark-haired demon began, "I am afraid we are in no fit state to receive visitors tonight. In exchange for your leaving us, may we offer you some form of compensation?" 

From her position clamped onto his shoulder, Erutis thought she saw Eclipse's eye slide from Krayon to herself and back again. She definitely saw the grin which spread across the Lord of Egae's smooth face as he stroked his chin, and was horrified to recognise the aftereffects of a sleep spell emnating from Raenef as he sat silent and slumped against his servant's chest.

"As a rule, no. But in this instance I believe an exception is in order." Krayon made a beckoning motion with one manicured finger and Erutis began floating away from Eclipse and Raenef, three inches above the floor. She swiped desperately at Eclipse, seeking purchase in hair or robe and not particularly caring if he wound up bald or naked as long as Krayon wasn't...

She landed, sprawled across the demon lord's lap, and managed to squawk out, _"Eclipse! I'll get you for this, you bastard!"_ before she vanished with her demon-shaped armchair.

Eclipse waited for the last vestiges of intense amusement to disappear from his face and the echo of Erutis's empty threat to fade before he stroked Raenef's cheek softly, intent perhaps on conversation or just avoiding being drooled on. When Raenef opened his eyes he kept his gaze trained on his hands, and Eclipse could have sworn his stomach had just ripped itself from his body and dived off the balcony.

"Master Raenef, we need to talk."

The boy remained silent.  


* * *

Using all his clerical abilities to first determine if the corridor was empty, Chris edged lightly around the corner and prayed to Rased that the blonde fop of a demon lord had found amusement somewhere else. He had been prodded, zapped and threatened beyond what was acceptable for one holding the position of Successor to the High Clericy of Rased, and had come away with the conclusion that not only did Krayon consider his supergenius status a trivial thing, but the demon was both crazy and utterly obsessed with Erutis. He heaved a sigh, disturbing some of the flour that dusted his robe.

_Krayon appeared in a blinding flash of light on top of the kitchen bench, this time without the art direction of his sylphs. Chris, for his part, pretended not to notice the demon's entrance on the 'if I can't see it, it's not there' principle. Krayon coughed delicately, though whether it was an attention seeking measure or simply to clear the airbourne flour from his throat was anyone's guess._

_"I said, **'ahem.'**"_

_Oh. Attention seeking after all._

_"Yes?" Chris answered with some vestige of distraction, unwilling to be rude without backup but equally unwilling to back down from a challenge._

_Krayon scowled at him, and the cleric felt the blood drain from his face. _

_"Tell me what you know about the knight," the demon demanded._

_Chris glowered back despite himself. "Her name is Erutis."_

_"Yes, I know that. Don't push your luck with me, mate."_

_"I don't know that much about her," the cleric admitted without making eye contact. "Just that she's a sword master and used to be a mercenary. She came here looking to kill Raenef, and that's about all."_

_Krayon was silent, contemplating the scant information as he drummed his fingers on the benchtop._

_"What does she ...like?" he asked almost gingerly._

_Chris fought down the impulse to snap back, 'not you, that's for gods-damned sure' with some effort. "Dunno. Food, swords, I guess." A glint of wickedness entered his eyes, and he dared to add, "She thinks Eclipse is something else, too."_

_The ferocious scowl that slammed over Krayon's face almost made the cleric regret opening his mouth. Almost._

_"Not that it's your business, but she can do better," the demon snapped defensively as he slid off the bench and made for the door._

_Chris muffled a snort, and Krayon whipped around in a swirl of fine cloth and hair. He was still scowling, and a ball of dark energy crackled dangerously over one extended finger._

_"I would not have said that if I were you," he said lightly as he sent the blast to chase the screaming cleric around the castle._

The ball of energy had detonated on a statue Chris had hidden himself behind, blasting it into a powder so fine it was indistinguishable from the cooking-related mess that covered him in splodges. Shaking his head to clear it of the unpleasant memory, Chris blinked and felt his spirits sink as he eyed the unfamiliar corridors.

"Raenef? Erutis? Eclipse? Someone? Where...where am I?"

* * *

Endnotes: Better? I wasn't ostensibly mean to anyone in that chapter. ^_^ Thanks for all the lovely comments, Scarbie. I'm glad firstdream!Eclipse managed to scare someone. I liked him best. :) Woo! Candy! *hugs for Atarii* *more hugs for everyone for putting up with my crap*


	9. Of Tempers and Discussion

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 7: Of Tempers and Discussion**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating:_ PG (this chapter)

_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai (as per usual)

_Notes relevant to text:_ Fairly short chapter, back into full-blown angst mode. :)

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion:_ Getting back into the swing of things. And before you shriek "out of character!" at me like some kind of harpy from hell, have patience. I'll explain myself at the end of the chapter. Silverlie, yipes! You've followed this the whole way through and I still haven't bored you to tears? *happy teary eyes and hugs* Hurrah! And Scarbie came back for more, too? Whee! *waves to Eike and Kyia Star* Sankyuu! ^_^

* * *

"Let me _go!_"

The disgruntled cry echoed down the halls of the earthbound residence of Krayon, Demon Lord of Egae. Unconcerned by the squalling of his more than reluctant visitor, the demon complied with Erutis' request and let her drop ineloquently onto her rear end as he eased himself into a plush, high-backed chair. 

After assuring herself that her tailbone was merely bruised as opposed to fractured, Erutis took a long moment to survey her surroundings. A surprisingly warm, comfortable sitting room decorated tastefully with antique looking furniture, thick rugs and heavy velvet drapes of opulent burgundy. A well-established fire crackled merrily beneath an ancient mantelpiece and across the room, bathed in the golden glow that accented the richness of his hair and fineness of his complexion, was Krayon. An egotist he might have been, but an egotist with cause, Erutis was forced to concede. Watching her every breath over his steepled fingers with eyes like keen chips of slate, there was no denying his beauty, nor the fact that he was abundantly aware of it.

The knight raised her chin defiantly, narrowed her eyes to slits and attempted valiantly to mask the fact she'd been gaping open-mouthed at everything she'd cast her sight on since she arrived. Naturally, she was less than impressed when Krayon let out a soft chuckle.

"What, no 'where am I' or 'what do you plan to do with me', love? I admired your sharpness, and you're disappointing me." One bejewelled hand unmeshed its fingers from its counterpart and came up to support the demon's chin as he cocked his head curiously.

Drawing her feet up under herself, Erutis huffed over her folded arms. "No point, is there? This whole place drips with your energy, so I'm probably wherever you call home," she snapped.

A tiny smirk quirked the edges of Krayon's lips. "True. But what about what I intend to do with you?"

Erutis scowled. "You'd better not get any ideas about me, fancy-pants. You lay one paw on me and I'll--" She groped blindly at her waist, and found nothing. Something akin to panic crossed her face as Krayon lazily balanced her wooden practice sword on the tip of one finger.

"What? You'll whack me with your stick?"

"Give it back!"

"Or what?" Krayon's voice oozed amusement as the knight tried to establish the best way to get her weapon back without putting herself in swipe range. 

As Erutis' fingers twitched reflexively, she cursed to every god she could think of and settled on Eclipse as the perpetrator of all her miseries. _You bastard, if I live through this I'm going to hack you into bits and force-feed you your spleen._ Raenef's miserable face flashed across her mind's eye, and as she remembered the boy cradled against his tutor's chest, her shoulders slumped in defeat. _You might be a bastard, but you make him happy._

Krayon continued watching her quietly, and at her slump he couldn't help but brush his thoughts carefully against hers. Decidedly Less Amused at what he found, he let the wooden sword drop into his palm and glared in a way that reminded Erutis that playful or not, she was at the mercy of a real demon lord and somehow she'd managed to tick him off.

"Why," Krayon began through forcefully unclenched teeth, "must every visitor to my dominion focus their thoughts on _him?!_"

Erutis had never seen Krayon more than jealously annoyed, and that had been frightening enough. _What did I do...?_ Apparently her confused silence was not the response the demon had aimed for, and her sword shattered to dust and splinters in his hand with an almighty crack. _Gods, he's going to kill me._

"U-um..." she began shakily, extending a hand unconsciously in the demon's direction which she hastily retracted to the safety of her chest when he glared at her.

"Stay here. There are servants who will take you to your quarters," Krayon snapped. 

Without another word he stood, smoothed invisible creases out of his clothing and vanished. Erutis sunk back onto the thick rug with a fiercely exhaled breath, and as much as she didn't want to recognise it, saw that her hands were shaking. _I'm in it deep now. I have no weapon, no way of getting out, I don't know where I am, nobody will come for me, and I've pissed off an immensely powerful demon without even trying. What am I going to do? _

The room, which had at first seemed cheerfully warm, suddenly felt stifling. Erutis pulled her knees up to her chest, buried her face in them, and allowed the shake that had possessed her normally steady hands to take the rest of her as she waited for the servant.  


* * *

Curled in the other demon's lap simply because he lacked the motivation to move himself and break his carefully constructed illusion of normalcy, Raenef heaved a sigh as he waited for Eclipse to interrogate him on his latest foolish venture. But the interrogation did not come. Blinking dumbly, the demon lord hauled himself back into a cross-legged position amidst his tangled sheets and cushions and reached unconsciously for the tip of Eclipse's hair. It was so soft beneath his twisting fingertips, so well maintained and beautiful; much like it's owner himself. Raenef's mind simply couldn't reconcile the conflicting thoughts of the individual who would devote such care and attention to something as aesthetically pleasing but genuinely useless as it with the cruel slayer of beauty and innocence who had haunted his dreams.

"I should have listened to Erutis, right?" he began quietly.

"That depends upon what advice she offered you, Master Raenef."

Raenef let out a short, bitter bark of laughter that froze the blood in Eclipse's veins. "She told me that if you didn't want to tell me about yourself, it was probably for my own good. But I couldn't help it! I couldn't! And now I don't know who you are any more!"

Eclipse's dark eyes slid closed. "I can only hazard a guess as to the memories Krayon has shown you, my lord --"

"They were so scared, Eclipse. All of them. Why didn't you just scare them and leave it at that?" Raenef exchanged his grip on his tutor's hair for the other demon's sleeve. As much as it affronted Eclipse to see his master so upset, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance.

"I am a demon, just as you are a demon. We are more than simply the monsters hiding under a child's bed or the threats of a tired mother. If we do not kill, they will not believe."

"But--"

"There are not 'buts'. That is the way it always has been and always will be," Eclipse said softly, but firmly. "Now I disgust you. I will not defend myself nor repent my actions, because I do not regret them."

He eased himself off the bed and made for the door, turning his back on Raenef's watering eyes. Keeping his eyes firmly on the doorknob, he added almost hesitantly, as if testing unfamiliar words, "My only regret is that in finding out, you are in pain. I am sorry to have caused you grief, my lord."

As the door clicked shut the whimper that had been building in Raenef's throat faded, leaving the demon lord of the Southern Mountains to contemplate the peculiarity that was his servant and the meaning of his parting words.  


* * *

Endnotes: Okay, don't yowl at me about out of character behaviour on Krayon's part until you hear me out. Yes, I played him up as more pervy than usual last chapter. I'm of the opinion that as a man-bitch, one of his most definitive traits is his ability to do a complete 180 in a split second. If he wasn't being something resembling jovial before he cracked at Erutis, the abrupt shift in mood would have been less noticeable. Furthermore, I realise Erutis isn't one to take someone else's bad mood sitting down, but let's face it: if you were weaponless, helpless and completely at the mercy of a demon who seemed to be unpredictibly bipolar, you'd probably be a little frightened too. ~_^ I left you a note. How about you leave me one? *points to review button*


	10. Of Krayonic Minions and Bad Ideas

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 8: Of Krayonic Minions and Bad Ideas**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating:_ PG (this chapter)

_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai (as per usual), more weirdness than usual

_Notes relevant to text:_ Flashback/s are denoted between single backslashes, thoughts remain in italics.

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion:_ Apologies for potentially disjointed note, as FF.Net appears to be eating my asterixes. Here we go again. I have the impression I'm going to get smacked for bad cut-off points sooner or later...Kyia Star: Krayon does have a hobby - being a pain in the ass. (waves to yami seraphim, nancy and Trin) Sankyuu! Eike: Yay! You say nice things about me! (Krayon plushie for Kalli) You realise you're making me write Angel Sanctuary stuff, don't you? Silverlie, you deserve a medal or something for following this for so long. hugs EEevee (did I spell that right?): Yipes, that IS a long review. And a very nice one indeed. Thankies! DaughterofDeath? Your wish is my command!

* * *

A soft knock at the door snatched Erutis' attention back from the dancing flames and her own melancholy. 

"Excuse me, miss?"

The servant Krayon had promised edged around the doorframe and stood demurely, waiting to be acknowledged. Erutis' eyes slid warily toward the voice, and she wasn't at all surprised at what her glance revealed. A youthful, pretty creature garbed in a short black dress with a pristine apron over the top of it, her dark hair pulled neatly away from her respectfully downcast face and her eyes on her meticulously polished shoes. _Bloody pervert; the man is employing teenage Eclipse with cleavage and no free will. We've all wondered at one point or another what he'd look like in a dress, but **sheesh**. I guess if you can't have the real thing..._

"Eclipse," Erutis muttered to herself.

"I'm sorry, miss. I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that," the servant replied.

"Never mind. You just remind me of someone I know."

Skirting carefully around the fact that her master's guest was a tomboyish figure curled up in a ball on the floor and mumbling incoherently to herself, the servant's eyes flicked quickly to the sideboard and back to check the contents of the alcohol Lord Krayon kept there. "Miss?"

"Erutis," the knight grunted.

"Miss Erutis, I have been sent to show you to your quarters. Are you ready to leave now, or do you wish to be left alone a while longer?" She shifted uneasily from foot to foot, as if expecting to be reprimanded.

"Now's fine." Erutis sighed heavily and heaved herself to her feet, cracking her joints as she went.

"Please follow me, Miss Erutis." The servant bobbed her dark head and walked quickly out into the vast labyrinth of corridors on near-silent feet. Erutis scuffed along far more distractedly, making a half-hearted effort to memorise the route she was being led on. Up a flight of stairs...to the left...third corridor on the left again..._It's no wonder Krayon just phases in and out - he probably gets lost in his own house._ She shook her head to clear it, and the Eclipse-lookalike stopped at a broad, highly carved set of doors of righ mahogany.

"These will be your rooms for the duration of your stay, Miss Erutis. If they are unsatisfactory, please tell me and I will see to it you are moved to somewhere more to your taste."

Bowing slightly, the servant held open the door for Erutis to pass through. The room she walked into was cavernous, draped in rich fabrics and adorned with furniture not unlike that of the sitting room. The tangy scent of pinecones met her nose, and she realised that someone must have recently lit a fire somewhere in the depths of the space. _If Eclipse ever found out I was staying in a room like this, he'd make sure the Council declared Krayon senile and have his guts for garters._ She ran her fingers lightly over a carefully embroidered cushion, and cast her gaze from the priceless rug beneath her dusty boots past the sequential landscapes in their heavy frames to the magically lit lanterns floating above the delicate silks of the bedspread. 

"Miss Erutis? Is this sufficiently to your taste?" The servant was still standing by the door, wringing her hands nervously.

Erutis nearly laughed out loud at the thought of Eclipse in the girl's place, and managed to stifle the snigger that escaped by dropping heavily onto the bed. "It's more than to my taste. Thankyou."

"You are most welcome, Miss Erutis," the servant bobbed her head again, and the beginnings of a pleased smile began to spread across her lips before she forcefully resumed her blank expression. "If there is anything you need, please call me."

She moved to back out the door, but Erutis stalled her. "Hey...could you hang around for a minute?"

The other girl blinked and acquiesced, carefully closing the door behind her and stepping uncertainly towards her lord's guest. "Yes, Miss Erutis?"

_If I can wring out of you what I've done to annoy Krayon, I might live an extra day or so. Best start small, hadn't we? _

"What's your name?" Erutis blurted.

"I--I do not have one, Miss Erutis."

Cocking her head curiously, the knight probed further. "Huh? Why not? Didn't your parents give you a name before they sold you off to Krayon as a maid?"

"I do not have parents, Miss Erutis, and I was not sold to My Lord," the girl answered quietly.

Erutis' eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly. "Everybody has parents, kid. Even demons. Why do you think you don't have any?"

"My Lord created me as he did all the servants in this palace, Miss Erutis. All of us, at one point, became lost in his realm and have forgotten who we were. He gave us mortal form and a purpose. In a way, I guess my Lord is my father."

_What on Earth?! What's he trying to pull?_

"So do all of you look the same or what?"

The girl shook her head slightly, as if disbelieving. "No, Miss Erutis."

More confused than she had been when she appeared in Krayon's sitting room, Erutis blinked in relief nonetheless. "Thanks. You can go now, if you like."

"Goodnight, Miss Erutis."

Erutis heard the latch of the door click shut, and sprawled herself across the vast bed to think.

* * *

It was very late, Raenef noted as he took in the low position of the moon in the sky. He had little idea as to how long he'd been sitting alone, bathed in the pale light streaming in through his window, and frankly he didn't much care. Eclipse had left him in the dark with his horrified thoughts, and he was fairly sure that if he called for the other, he would not come unless he sensed his master being attacked by something other than his own consciousness. 

_You promised you'd stay with me forever,_ he thought almost bitterly. _I've got half a mind - Erutis, that's **not** funny, stop laughing - I've got half a mind to march into your room and demand that you…that you…_

The boy smacked himself in the face in frustration. Even in his less than notable previous state of memory retention and general common sense, he knew better than to fly off the handle half-cocked. Most of the time. Well, since becoming a demon lord. Kind of.

_What would I demand of you? That you apologise for my stupidity or for behaving in the way I should even though it made me sick to watch? Make you feel sorry that you ever took up the task of tutoring me?_

Raenef's shoulders slumped in defeat, and he dragged himself gingerly off the bed to the chair. There was no sense going after the other demon until he'd devised a suitable plan of action. Wondering briefly where Erutis had gone he rested his head atop his knees to do some heavy thinking while somewhere far, far away, fate coughed up another hairball on his eiderdown: instead of scheming, Raenef fell asleep.

  
  
Erutis shot up with a start, disoriented and strangely weaponless. As she scrubbed fiercely at her sleepy eyes to clear them, she remembered exactly where she was and relaxed as much as someone cooped up in what looked like the honeymoon suite of an irate demon lord's castle could allow themselves to. Water. She must have been sleeping with her mouth open - she was awfully thirsty. Coughing lightly, she used the dull glow emanating from the fireplace to search the room for a jug or something similar, but the search was frustratingly fruitless. 

_/"If there is anything you need, please call me."/_

"Oh yeah. That."

Feeling somewhat triumphant, Erutis made it to the door and had leaned out into the empty corridor with a cry of greeting on her lips before she recognized two crucial things: First, that the servant she was trying to hail didn't have a name to be hailed with; and second, that she had no idea how else to get someone's attention without rousing the entire castle.

"Oh well, I'm sure if I wander for a bit I'll come across the kitchens or a fountain or _something_ in a place as poncy as this," she concluded. Shutting the door firmly behind her, Erutis set off in pursuit of her second Exceptionally Bad Idea of the night.

* * *

Endnotes: flinches Please don't hurt me. Yes, a dream is coming up and Erutis will find herself In Deep Crap because the next chapter will have drumroll actual content! 

P.S: EEeve - yay! Embrace the man-bitch! Have a nice summer, even if you've got to work. 


	11. One Fluffy Night

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 9: One Fluffy Night…**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating: _PG (this chapter)__

_Warnings: _FLUFF. (Yes, sometimes I even disgust myself.)

_Notes relevant to text_: Yes, chapters are getting a bit shorter, but that's mainly because I'm finding damnably convenient places to cut them off. Thoughts in Raenef's dream are in backslashes, unless FF.Net has decided to eat those as well. (grumble) I must really love you guys, considering I'm polishing this off with two hours' sleep, a cold, the beginnings of a stomach ulcer and using a broken finger to type it with. xx; I'm such a drama queen.

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion: _(blinkblink) That's an awful lot of reviews for a fairly substandard chapter, but thank you nonetheless! Kyia, I'm always planning something evil. :) More Erutis lies within for Nancy, and greetings to God of Insanity, Rose, Hikari of Darkness and fireash. Thanks, Scarbie. Yami Seraphim: Hm…Beauty and the Beast… if I didn't have the whole Disney-avoidance thing going on, that'd be an idea worth pilfering. :oP I'm still waiting for naked Raenef IV, Kalli… (hugs as always for Silverlie) You read the Angel Sanctuary thing too? Sankyuu! (blushes) I probably owe you a gift fic or summat for paying attention to me for so long and even outside the fandom you found this in…

* * *

Erutis' bare feet padded softly along one empty corridor after another. Her cursing, however, was becoming increasingly louder at the sameness of it all and the unwilling self-realisation that she was hopelessly, irredeemably lost. She chose a wall that was relatively free of tapestry and adornment and slumped against it with a dull thud.

_I could walk around this place and die of old age before I find a way out…**why **did I leave that room? _Erutis coughed lightly. _Oh yeah. I've got to learn to sleep with my mouth closed._

Glancing at the endless corridor to her left, she came to the conclusion that perhaps she just wasn't looking right. _If I were a demon lord with a penchant for interior decorating, I'd hide a messy place like a kitchen behind a **door**. A **big** one._

As if fate had poked her in the shoulder with the pointy tip of a convenient plot device, Erutis blinked at the set of stairs she'd almost sat on and let her gaze wander up the elaborately gilded columns standing each side of a larger-than-usual set of doors. _Bingo!_

Carefully, she eased herself off the floor and twisted the heavily engraved handle, praying silently that the hinges wouldn't squeak in protest. For once fate appeared to be on her side and she slipped silently into the room beyond.

What greeted her was certainly _not _the kitchen.

* * *

_If Raenef's body had been acting under his orders, he would have released a plaintive wail to rival a banshee at his own inability to stay awake for any extended period of time. Once again he had fallen into Krayon's conjuration, and as usual he could not determine where, when or who he was. Mentally, he huffed. /angelEclipsebrokenwingsoldierrainofbloodEclipseChrisohdeargods…/ He quickly revised the huffing and resorted to praying to whatever gods listened to demons that whatever was in store for him this time, Eclipse would keep the body count small and the mess minimal._

_He flipped a ponytail's worth of sun-golden hair over one shoulder and pouted as he surveyed the apparent disarray of what appeared to be a study room. /Eh…? No way, it couldn't be…/_

_"Raenef! Get out here **now**!"_

_/But I didn't -- Raenef?!/_

_A quiet giggle echoed around the room, but the source itself was indeterminate. The other Raenef, whomever it was, had let his voice carry on the breeze coming in from the window. Raenef's host was virtually bubbling with fury and half-activated mezraez. /Uh-oh./_

_"Get out here or I'll blow up everything in this room including your precious books, brat!"_

_"You will not do anything of the sort, Lord Krayon. Calm yourself." The all-too familiar voice from behind him almost had Raenef weeping in relief. Eclipse would stop him from hurting people on principle, and if there was another Raenef in the room, that person was safe too. _

_/Wait a minute…Lord **Krayon**?! I'm in Krayon's memory?!/ Momentary panic gripped the boy as he recalled his less-than-pleasant trip into the dreams of Meruhesae and the subsequent threat of being absorbed. /Is this what he was planning all along? Get me away from Eclipse and destroy me? Ohhh, how could I be so thick?!/_

_Krayon/Raenef batted his/their eyes at Eclipse and adopted a stance that was almost apologetic but certainly not deferent. "It's my home, Eclipse. I can blow him up if I want."_

_Eclipse's hand rose to massage his right temple as he fought for patience. "That may be so, Lord Krayon, but I would advise against it. Article Seventy-Three of the Charter states that 'although a Demon Lord may rule his realm however he pleases; petty revenge is preferable to homicide in cases of disputes between juvenile Lords'."_

_Krayon/Raenef huffed in annoyance and Raenef caught the fleeting thought that his/their companion was in for some highly unpleasant dreams the next time he took to bed, possibly involving a potato peeler and pieces of the other's anatomy._

_"In theory, much better." Eclipse inclined his head at Krayon/Raenef and turned his attention to the bookcase. "Lord Raenef, it is time for your revision. Please accompany me to the library."_

_A small boy stepped out of thin air holding a book under one arm. His sharply cut hair, enviable eyelashes and the curious markings beneath his dark eyes identified him unmistakably as Raenef the Fourth. /But why would Raenef the Fourth trash a room just to annoy Krayon? It doesn't make sense when he could do so much worse…/ _

_"Of course, Eclipse." Raenef the Fourth nodded politely to Krayon/Raenef even as mockery flickered across his pale face._

_His expression served its purpose – clearly, the adult Krayon Raenef knew was infinitely more patient than his child counterpart, and the boy/Raenef waited just long enough for his/their visitor to pass before shaping a blast and firing it at the other boy's undefended back._

_Raenef, hidden in Krayon's juvenile body, would have been impressed by the Lord of Egae's cunning even at his stunted age if he hadn't been watching in silent horror as his predecessor turned around as if in slow motion to meet the blast of dark energy, awareness that he lacked the raw power to block it written clearly on his young face. He made no sound, but squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the imminent pain._

_Krayon/Raenef laughed gleefully, proud of his/their petty revenge._

_"__Magic Circle__, shield three!" Eclipse's deep voice rang out before Krayon/Raenef's body was flung backwards into the wall, at the mercy of his/their own blast. Blinding, burning pain engulfed his/their senses, and Raenef screamed in agony with the Dream Lord as blood made its way freely from his/their face to soak his/their clothing below._

_Krayon/Raenef slumped bonelessly to the floor, and as Krayon's eyes were clamped tightly and involuntarily shut, Raenef heard his predecessor's child-voice and that of his tutor._

_"Eclipse? Is he okay? I was just rigging the bookcase to fall on him…"_

_"Go to the library. I'll send for one of his servants to attend him and meet you there, little master."_

_A pause. _

_"Eclipse?"_

_"Yes, sir?"_

_"You will stay with me forever, won't you? I don't want Krayon to have you."_

_"For as long as you want me, my lord. I serve you, not Lord Krayon."_

_"Good." Light footsteps retreated from the room, and Krayon's/Raenef's ego lurched in pain as Eclipse teleported out without so much as checking to see if he/they were breathing. Raenef could have sworn that Krayon was holding back tears, and when they eventually broke through he/they cut them off quickly as they stung damaged flesh._

_A strange rocking sound pricked his/their ears, and the bookcase landed on top of him/them with a heavy thump._

_/Owie…/_

---

Curled up in his bed, Raenef didn't even wake. It had obviously worked out in the end, Eclipse hadn't hurt someone deliberately (to the best of his knowledge), had affirmed his loyalty to the name of Raenef (even if hearing him swear it to his predecessor caused a slight twinge of jealousy) and no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on the seriousness of it, the idea of Krayon squashed under a bookcase _was_ kind of funny.

* * *

"Rased, once again you have saved your humble servant!"

A cry of joy on his lips, Chris fled towards the twin doors which could only be the library of the castle with no name. It would take some heavy thinking to find his way back to his actual room, but he'd been wandering around lost for the better part of five hours and even the antique-y couches in that room seemed softer than any bed at the moment.

"_Thank the—Eclipse?!_ You scared me!" He pulled himself up short as the far more dangerous demonic resident of the castle cast him a death glare over the cover of the book he held between his long, pale fingers.

"Apparently," the demon quipped, "the onus is once again on me to point out that you are the one at fault. I suggest you go to bed, cleric."

Chris' shoulders slumped. "I would if I could but I can't so I won't." He perched himself on the edge of the expansive mahogany desk, ignoring the foul glance it earned him. "What're you doing here at this hour, anyway?"

Eclipse carefully marked his place and slid the book back onto the table. Chris blanched. The demon may have looked paler than usual, more drawn and tired than was normal, but his expression had morphed from his standard 'annoyed but otherwise indifferent of your ongoing state of life' to downright vicious.

"Okay, okay, forget I asked," Chris offered in penance. No Raenef equaled no leeway where a demon of Eclipse's ranking and disposition towards humans was concerned, and Chris' inherent supergenius sense of preservation insisted he not say or do anything further to warrant being incinerated.

Ever so quietly, the cleric edged away from the table and its cranky occupant, making his way with short, jerky steps towards the couch. It was only when the drooling and snoring became too much for Eclipse's delicate aesthetic sense that the demon teleported away from the safety of the library and onto the balcony of Raenef's room, just to check the boy was alright.

Inside, the boy's form was caught in a convenient beam of moonlight. Thumb firmly between his lips and blankets in tangled disarray, there was no denying the tiny smile on Raenef's face. Eclipse answered it with one of his own that he would utterly deny was hopeful, and vanished to his own quarters where he fell heavily, deeply asleep.

* * *

Endnotes: …I blame it on the sick thing. I left them alone for once...stroke my ego?


	12. Of the Moonlit Garden and Eclipse With C...

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 10: Of The Moonlit Garden and Eclipse With Clothes On**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating: _PG (this chapter)__

_Warnings: _The fluff continues…T.T

_Notes relevant to text_: Sorry, Kalli – this is a short, short chapter. I promise there'll be some angsty gore soon. I'm so sorry for the time between updates and the shortness of this particular offering. Work is out of the way now, so I'll be able to get back in the swing of things. Great, FF.Net have 'fixed' the missing characters by removing more of them. (growls)

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion: _Thankyou once again for your continued interest in this story. I love you all, even if I can't use an asterisk to hug you! I _do_ feel better.

Kyia: Actually, Raenef IV was older than 150 when he died – there were just 150 years between when he was cursed and his death and he was old enough to be hideously cruel in the Hangma War, so he'd have to be older than that. Silverlie: Sankyuu! (huggles) DaughterofDeath: I did. :P (waves to FireAsh and Strega) Rach: (blushes) Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Scarbie: (glares) Have you been looking at my notes?! Er…I mean…library! Yeah, that's right, she's going to the library! Eh-heh… KoaruFan: Thanks. That was the tone I was aiming for, so I'm glad it's on track. Thankies, Yami-chan! Nozomi: I'm really making you like Krayon? (preens and fluffs) .; Nancy: I think you'll like this chappie. Kiwi Sause: That's some high praise. Thankies! Hoseki Honooko: O.O; Anything but the cattle prod! I got zapped once and it was more than enough…(types frantically) Er, here!

* * *

Cool moonlight spilled over the broad windowsill on the other side of the room Erutis had slipped into. The window, though proportional to the rest of the vast space, was enormous by the knight's standards and the delicate stained glass design that arched over it only seemed to add to the grandeur. Once again she was astonished at Krayon's taste, and understood why the demon had insulted Raenef's lack of decorating. Such a window really deserved a lady to look out of it, right?

Her quest for water forgotten, Erutis tiptoed as quietly as she could across the floor and came to a halt as she pressed a hand against the smoothness of the glass and peered out into the night. Below her, a garden grown wild blossomed in the still night air. The wan light gave the glorious mess a ghostly, ethereal appearance, and as a sudden waft of wind surrounded her with the rich scent of cold roses and jasmine, Erutis drew in a sharp, awed breath.

"As much as it should rub against the grain of my more sophisticated tastes," a sleep-thickened voice intoned to Erutis' surprise, "I must admit I've become fond of that garden in my old age."

The knight's heart skipped a beat and she sent a quick prayer that she'd only imagined the utterance. Her socks found purchase in the rug beneath her feet, and she turned hesitantly to survey the rest of the room and the speaker.

"It's…it's beautiful," she admitted carefully, unsure of her welcome.

Erutis was in a bedchamber; that much was obvious. An elegantly carved bed was obscured from direct view with translucent drapes of what she supposed was fine silk, a plush armchair sat by an open fireplace that glowed faintly with dying coals like pieces of fractured ruby, and on the small table beside that was a decanter of what she presumed to be wine and a half-empty glass. _Oh yeah. That's what I'm here for and all…Is he still angry with me? More to the point, where **is **he?_

"I'm not angry with you, swordswoman. Although I am led to wonder exactly which servant I shall have to terminate for allowing you to wander into my private chambers," Krayon continued, still invisible to the eye and with a hint of irritation.

_/ "My Lord created me…I guess my Lord is my father."/_ Erutis bristled as she recalled the Eclipse-like, nameless servant girl.

"She thinks you're her father. You might be a demon, but even you can't be _that _lousy. I found this place by myself, so quit playing Rased," she growled.

The drapes concealing the bed from view shifted slightly, and Erutis managed to distinguish the Lord of Egae's legs as he swung them carefully over the edge, as if he'd been asleep for days as opposed to hours. His face remained in shadow, and the knight felt a cold sweat break out on her back as she realised that once again she was at the mercy of his pleasure and unable to determine whether he was angry or not.

"I'm no better or worse than your Rased, girl. They exist because I will it so in my domain," he said quietly. "You're the one playing deities if you try to sway the opinion of their god."

The words hung between them for a long moment, until Erutis coughed again.

"Whatever. Since I'm here and you're awake now, where can I find something to drink?"

Krayon's voice was strangely rough, but not unkind or devoid of humour. "Sleep with your mouth open, did you?"

"…No!" Erutis yelped indignantly.

"If you say so, love. Go back out into the corridor and think about a kitchen. The quickest way to get around here is to will the room you want to appear in front of you," the demon advised.

Another pause, less loaded, descended between them, in which Erutis cocked her head curiously and Krayon enjoyed the fact the knight couldn't see his smirk.

"The garden is just as beautiful by day as it is by night. If you behave yourself, I will take you there at a more civil hour. Now scat. It's not as if I _need _beauty sleep, but you're interrupting it," Krayon quipped.

Erutis moved towards the door without hesitation, but as she put one hand on the doorhandle she cast a strangely longing glance at the moonlight garden beyond the window.

"Good…G'night," she mumbled. Without waiting for a response from the demon, she slipped outside and pulled the door shut behind her.

* * *

In the castle with no name, all three residents slumbered easily. Raenef was still chewing his thumb and giggling now and then, Chris had taken up grateful residence on one of the library's highly uncomfortable and chiefly decorative couches, and Eclipse slept more heavily and soundly than he had for days.

A regular fly on the wall of Raenef's castle would have noted that the fact that the demon remained fully clothed and on top of his covers was unusual. Under normal circumstances he would have been under them and wearing significantly less, but said fly would know better than to put his current state of dress down to exhaustion.

Far, far away, Meruhesae scowled and swiped at her crystal ball, stomping a delicate foot at being thwarted again and used as scene-changing filler.

* * *

Standing outside Krayon's chambers, Erutis scrutinised the door directly across the corridor. They looked exactly the same as they had when she'd chosen their far more elegant opposites. But Krayon had told her she could make them lead to the kitchens, and she'd wear a pink frilly dress to Raenef and Leeche's wedding before she'd give in and ask for more specific instructions on navigating what was, apparently, not a house with a set layout.

Another cough caught her, and she concentrated fiercely as she smothered it.

"Come on…_kitchen!_"

Squeezing her eyes shut, she reached out for the door handle and pulled it open. A delicious smell of food met her nose, and she eased the squeeze into a squint.

"Kick ass! I am _so _good." Merrily, she skipped forward in search of something to soothe her throat.

Settling on a pitcher of water, Erutis hummed as she searched through the cupboards for a glass. _Goblets.__ Figures. They'll do, I guess._

She hoisted herself onto the table running down the centre of the expansive room, and swung her legs through the air as she drank and contemplated.

_It's a shame Chris isn't here. Even **he **could find his way around in this place. Fancy that; if you want it to be there, it is. At least I'm not going to get lost on the way back – I can just make Krayon's doors lead to my room! I could get used to this. If I want it, it's ther—_

The pewter goblet slipped from her boneless fingers as she stared open-mouthed at nothing. _If I want it, it'll appear. Did I **want **to see…?_

A horrified yowl fit to wake the dead tore through the earthbound palace of the Demon Lord of Egae. "_Gods, noooooooo!_"

* * *

Endnotes: Many apologies again for the short, pointless chapter; I felt it important to indicate I wasn't dead. If I disappear for no apparent reason again, check my update blog for explanations/excuses. I can't believe I wrote something that ambiguously shippy…someone strike me down _now_. T.T


	13. Of Rude Awakenings

**Finding You in My Field of Paper Flowers**

**Chapter 10: Of Rude Awakenings**

_Genre:_ Angst/Horror

_Rating: _PG 13 (this chapter)__

_Warnings: _The fluff recedes in a relapse of gore.

_Notes relevant to text_: Still kinda short. Many apologies, I lost internet access for a couple of days. Stupid network… While I'm at it, go forth and read Silverlie's awesome fic, Dance Eternal. It has baby!Eclipse and violence and gore and angstiness and is shaping up to be fantastic.

_Notes not as relevant but still important in my opinion: _Nozomi – you'll soon discover that most of my plot bunnies have fangs. :) Kalli – thankyou! (blush) Er, can't do much about the length, will you settle for gore? (hugs for Silverlie) fireash – this may be more what you were looking for (in a twisted kinda way). cookiesmidnight – Yay! You're back! Is the fluffy bit more acceptable than picking on Raenef nonstop? Kou Kagerou – that's some pretty high praise. I'm glad you're enjoying it. No, 'onus' is a word, not a typo. ;-) (waves and thankyous for Jultina, Koaru Fan, nancy, Tenchibat, Chuen and Ashes16) Yami Seraphim – Yes. Yes I do. Well, I did, once. It's kind of crappy…--; Eeeve – hurrah for pissing people off! The garden's on it's way. You're getting stuck with more work? Ack. I'll keep my 10 hours a week, thanks very much. Here's a short chapter to cheer you up.

* * *

Dawn broke softly over the balconies, columns and night-gloomy passages of the Nameless Castle, whose name, retrospectively, was probably exactly that after all. Hindsight _is _twenty-twenty.

Eclipse shifted sleepily on top of his covers and turned his face unconsciously so that the warmth of the early light caressed the pale skin of his cheek.

_Master Raenef's breakfast, _his inner voice commanded, before adding helpfully and tantalisingly that he'd only have to cook for three instead of two – the knight was still off being drooled over _and hopefully murdered…_ by Krayon.

_Krayon.__ Raenef. "I've been wondering...you know all about me, but I know almost nothing about you…I just don't know any more…" _A sick feeling clenched his gut before an image of Raenef, asleep, drooling and with a tiny smile on his face overrode the less pleasant memories. Eclipse was grateful that nobody was there to witness the look of relief that infused his face as he realised that it was all over. He then proceeded to a moment of blind panic as he remembered the nosy seer. Growling at nothing in particular, he pushed himself up on his elbows and made to start the day.

* * *

A few hours later when the sun had risen high and hot enough to make sleeping under heavy blankets profoundly uncomfortable, Raenef finally began to stir.

_Strange, _he thought to himself, _I don't remember drawing the curtains around my bed. _He blinked for a protracted moment in the dingy, humid air. _It must have been Eclipse._

His mind flicked back to the dream Krayon had sent him, and stifled a giggle. He knew he shouldn't laugh at another's misfortune – _Yes you should_, Eclipse-voice advised – but the _bookcase_…

Something shifted in the shadows at the foot of his bed.

"Eh? Who's there?" He struggled out from beneath his covers and crawled forward for a better look. "Eclipse? Can I have breakfast in here? Yay!"

"I'm not the monster you call Eclipse," a voice hissed. Raenef pulled back in fright, and scrubbed at his eyes to make sure that he was, in fact, awake and living this. "Don't you remember me?"

The person perched on the end of the silken coverlet leaned forward, and although he'd never seen that face clearly, Raenef couldn't help but recognise it. As if to reinforce the fact, a dusty white feather fluttered to ground just beside his hand.

"Are you…?" he began warily.

"Yes," the other confirmed, "and I have come to ask you why you let me die."

The figure eased forward on its hands, and to Raenef it seemed as though a great feathery snake was bearing down on him until the light caught his visitor's face, and he drew in a sharp breath at the pale, sad beauty of it.

"I—I didn't," Raenef stammered. "I'd never hurt you! I wasn't alive then!"

The angel eased back onto her haunches, and the wan light illuminated the dark tears as they ran down her cheeks in a manner far too sluggish to be salt water.

"Poor child," she crooned, "your very existence is enough to convict me to death. You embraced a monster to your chest the day you accepted his offer, and killed me all over again. It is as much your fault as his."

Slowly, gingerly, she extended a sleeve-covered hand towards Raenef's face.

"Sweet child."

There was a heady scent in the air which Raenef couldn't immediately recognise as he sat frozen in fright – sweet and sickly and faintly metallic. He was leaning in something sticky. _Sweat isn't sticky like this. _He spared a quick glance at his fingers and gagged at the clotted blood still connected by cobwebbed tendrils to a puddle of glinting red collecting at his knees. Panicking, he switched his gaze desperately to the angel and silently willed her to make it go away. But the blood kept seeping thickly from the gaping wound in her chest, and the shattered bones of her wings creaked dryly as she shifted them for balance.

"Murderer."

The hand that brushed against his flushed cheek was skeletal, and the gaze that met his was utterly dead.

* * *

The terrified scream that echoed down the corridors to the kitchen froze Eclipse mid-pancake flip. As the half-cooked round stuck on the wall above the frypan and slid slowly down to the bench top, Eclipse's favourite apron settled on the floor without its wearer.

"Master Raenef!" the demon bellowed as he pulled back the curtains from the bed. Within, Raenef knelt, chalk-white and blank-faced, staring at a point in front of him as if it was an exploded tomato. Eclipse shook his shoulder lightly, and he blinked twice before launching himself at his tutor's chest in tearless horror.

"I'm scared," the boy mumbled into Eclipse's robe. "I'm so scared, and it's happening when it shouldn't and she said I killed her!"

Eclipse stroked the messy, pale hair and let his master convulse a while longer before he asked quietly, "Master Raenef? What is 'it'? Please tell me so that I may be of use."

"I can't," the boy replied immediately.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Eclipse cursed Krayon and the fact the Lord of Egae continued to draw breath in the same world as he.

* * *

"Are you planning on waking up any time soon, love? The day is half-gone."

Krayon used the flowery end of a fresh-picked rose to tickle the end of Erutis's nose before laughing inwardly at the puerile rhyme the situation lent itself to.

"G' 'way, Chris. Three hun'ed swings, 'kay?" the knight grumbled.

"I'm certainly not that foolish little boy, Erutis. Wake up if you want me to be at all hospitable," he added with a touch less patience. Age may have granted him the ability to ramble, but serenity of nature was not a paid tithe.

"Eh?" Erutis cracked open one eye, yelped in fright and shot up in her bed. "What're you _doing _in here?!"

"It's my home," the demon quipped. "I've been up for hours and working industriously, while you've been snoring away. I don't think asking for a little company is beyond my claim."

Stretching like a cat, Erutis eyed Krayon from beneath her ruffled bangs. The sun was indeed high in the sky, and although she had no idea what constituted 'work' for the Lord of Egae in the daylight hours, she wasn't about to ask.

"Okay, okay, I'm up." She sniffed delicately, and noticed in a single glance the breakfast tray on the table by the fireplace and the retreating form of Eclipse-in-drag. "What d'you want me for, anyway?"

Krayon eased himself into one of the fireside chairs and steepled his fingers. "I believe I offered to show you the gardens when you invaded my chambers last night."

Erutis blushed at the memory, and blushed deeper at the thought of the way she'd found the door.

"Are you agreeable to that?" Krayon eyed her curiously. "You're most welcome to wander around the corridors all day if you so desire, but I'd rather not have to instruct the servants to clean you off the walls if you stumble across something you shouldn't see," he added cryptically.

Sniffing indignantly, Erutis informed Krayon that she was most capable of looking after herself through a mouthful of fresh-buttered toast and let her thoughts wander to Chris, Raenef and Eclipse. She was so engrossed in her breakfast – which, for once, was unlikely to be laced with something potentially fatal – that she didn't notice the dark scowl that momentarily clouded Krayon's elegant face.

* * *

Endnotes: I couldn't make that any longer without cutting off a big scene in a bad place. Bear with me?


End file.
